Betrayal
by Vinividivinci
Summary: Devastated after the betrayal of his team, Jack resigns and disappears.  SG1 desperately tries to find him - but is it too late to save their friendship - and his life?  Please be warned that there will be elements of J/S ship.
1. Gone

**_Here's my new story. Just a warning - it's angsty, really, really angsty! There will, of course be whump and anguish, and most likely cliffhangers (you know me by now!). Please don't shoot me! But I am counting on all of you for lots and lots and lots of reviews. I only keep writing because I love getting them so much!_**

**_By the way - none of these characters are mine. They're simply borrowed because I love (especially poor Jack who keeps on getting it from me!)!_**

"Are you sure I can't change your mind Jack?" Hammond asked his haggard looking friend. "We still need you."

"No George. I've had enough. I can't do it any more."

"I don't know if the President will let you go. He may not let you retire." Hammond knew that O'Neill was one of the few people the President – and the Joint Chiefs – really trusted. They knew he would tell them the truth, whether or not they wanted to hear it.

"Well then, they'll just after to Court Martial me when I go AWOL cause I'm not going back." The man in front of him spoke softly, without anger or belligerence – without any emotion at all and that's what frightened Hammond the most. He was worried that Jack was about to snap. After all he'd been through it was recent events that had finally been the proverbial straw.

"All right Jack. I'll tell them but what are you going to do? Are you planning to head to your cabin? You'll get bored there in no time. Believe me, I know. I tried retirement and I went stir crazy after a couple of weeks."

"I don't know where I'm going George. I don't know anything right now."

Hammond recognized that the man in front of him was in bad shape – emotionally if not physically. He was truly worried and wondered if he should order the man to get a pysch evaluation. The thought was fleeting however. There was no way Jack would agree to that – he'd just disappear.

"Have you spoken to them?" This was the crux of the matter he knew. He wondered if Jack would discuss it. As he watched he could see O'Neill's eyes grow hard with a look he had rarely seen.

"No, and I don't ever plan to. Whatever happens George you have to promise me that you will not tell them anything about me – not where I am or what I'm doing. You have to promise me that if our friendship means anything to you." This was the first bit of emotion George had seen the man display since he'd come to his door this evening.

"But Jack, surely they'd understand if you explained things to them. They were your team for eight years. They'll listen to you!"

"I shouldn't have to explain George", he spoke softly, so softly Hammond could barely hear him. "I trusted each of them with my life. I would never have doubted them, never have questioned them. I expected the same from them. I would have said to anyone and everyone who asked that there were no people I trusted more in this world than my team. How wrong I was!" he spoke with extreme bitterness.

"The circumstances were pretty damning."

"Yes they were. They were supposed to be; that's what the mission was all about. The only thing that kept me going through it all was that my friends would be there waiting at the end of it. I knew that I could count on them. That when it was all over I'd come back and they'd tease me and joke with me. Oh, maybe they'd be angry but only because I hadn't included them. Yeah, I could hear Teal'c chastising me for leaving him behind. Daniel would lecture me and tell me I needed them and Carter – God, Carter – I thought for sure she'd be there for me. But guess what George? They all judged me. They all assumed I was as guilty as hell. They couldn't even look me in the eye. They couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Didn't want to be tainted by the traitor O'Neill. Well fine – as far as I'm concerned they can still believe that. I don't want any part of them."

Hammond looked over sadly. He couldn't believe that the former SG1 had come to this. He understood Jack's anger. He felt angry and betrayed too. He couldn't figure out why they had been so ready to believe the worst of their former commander. Oh, he knew it was more difficult since Jack had taken over Homeworld Security and they didn't see each other so regularly. But he, like Jack, had counted on SG1 to stand staunchly behind General O'Neill. But instead they'd believed what others had believed – that he was a traitor.

At first he had hoped that they could deal with it, get over it. He knew it would take time to rebuild trust but he was sure it would happen. Looking at Jack he now doubted it. This was a man who had been wounded to the heart and soul. This was not a man ready to forgive or forget.

He sighed and spoke again. "I'm sure they'll figure it out and they will worry about you. Just let me tell them you're okay and-"

"NO!" he almost shouted. "No George, I want your promise. You told me that one day you'd have to buy back your soul – well I'm asking for it today. I'm asking you to not say anything to any of them. I do not want them to know how I am, where I am or what I'm doing. As far as I'm concerned my friends are as dead to me as my son." He got up and grabbed his coat. "I'll send my papers to the Chief of Staff tomorrow. I may not see you again George. I hope you know what your support and friendship has meant to me over the years." As he turned to go George spoke with some urgency.

"Jack, I promise I won't say anything to SG1 but please, let me know you're okay. Don't shut me out too. I'll worry if you don't tell me where you are."

Jack paused but then turned back. With the world-weary expression of one who has lost everything he nodded. "I'll send you a message every few months to let you know I'm alive. That's all I can do George." With that he left, as quickly and quietly as he had come.

As Hammond watched him walk down the walkway to his truck he felt a deep sense of sadness; one he had only ever experienced once before, upon the death of his wife so many years ago. O'Neill might still be alive – at least in body – but Hammond knew that he was watching a man whose soul had died. He thought to himself that this was much worse.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hey Sam, I just asked Teal'c if he wanted to come over tonight for pizza. What about you? Are you up for pizza and a movie."

She looked at Daniel as if she couldn't figure out what he was saying. Pizza? Why would she want pizza? Her world felt like it had ended and he wanted a Team – no a 'movie' night. There was no 'team' anymore.

"No." she answered, looking back down at what she'd been doing.

"Come on Sam. You need to get out of here. We need to keep going. Teal'c said he'll come."

"Good, then you won't be alone. I have work to do."

"Nothing that's very important. Look, I know you're not working on anything big right now so let's get out of here and relax."

She looked up, starting to get angry. "Look, I said I don't want to go for pizza okay? You and Teal'c can go off and pretend everything is just fine. Go watch Star Wars for the 900th time. Just leave. Me. Alone!"

Daniel walked in the room. It was only as he got nearer that she could see the dark circles under his eyes, the worry lines etched permanently on his forehead. She knew she was being unfair to him. He was just trying to help. But she couldn't deal with it all right now.

"Sam, look, if you don't want to watch a movie we don't have to. We can just go and have a drink and talk. We all need to get away from here for awhile."

"What should we talk about Daniel? Maybe about the Ori or the Asgard? Or how about those Rockies! Look how well they're doing. Hey, have you heard about the economy – it's not doing so well. And what about that General O'Neill? I hear he's a traitor and betrayed his country and everything we hold dear. Yeah, let's go 'chat' Daniel. Why don't we have a Latte with that!" She slammed the piece of equipment she was holding down on the table and stood up. Grabbing her coat she headed for the door. She had to get out of here.

"Wait Sam!" Daniel grabbed her arm and swung her around. "You're not the only one who's hurting here you know. This hasn't just affected you. We're all suffering. I'm just trying to keep us from tearing each other apart. I'm hoping we can help each other through this. Please don't shut us out Sam. We need you and you need us."

"That's very trite Daniel but frankly, I don't _need_ anyone. I've decided I'm much better off on my own. Needing someone just causes hurt and I don't _need_ any more of that." She tried to pull her arm away but Daniel held on.

"Oh, so because you've been hurt by Jack you've decided to get rid of the rest of us? What, you plan to be a loaner for the rest of your life? That'll be great Sam – something to look forward to."

"Don't you get it Daniel, there's nothing _to_ look forward to. Now please, just let me go." Finally doing as she asked he watched as she left her lab and headed for the elevator.

He shook his head in anger. "Jack, you bastard, why did you do this to us? Why did you destroy everything with your arrogance and stupidity?" He turned and headed for Teal'c's room.

Sam reached the top as quickly as she could, feeling like the elevator was moving through thick sludge. By the time she went through security and made it outside she was gasping. She felt like she could no longer breath underground and needed to be outside. She glanced up and realized that she could just see one or two stars coming out as dusk began to fall. The site made a sharp pain go through her chest. She wondered if Jack was off somewhere watching the stars. She knew how much he loved to do that.

Do traitors still like to look through their telescopes, she wondered. Laughing ironically she headed to her car. Unlocking the door she started to drive home but instead ended up heading in a different direction. It wasn't until her car started driving down Jack's old street that she realized where she was headed. She stopped suddenly, pulling over. What was she doing? He didn't even live there anymore. He'd rented it out to a military family posted to NORAD. For a moment there, however, she'd needed to see something of his, to connect somehow to him. With a soft sob she pulled away from the curb and headed home.

It had been two weeks since everything had come crashing down and they'd discovered what General O'Neill had done. Surprisingly there was nothing said about it. It was as if the whole thing was being kept quiet. Other than General Landry no one seemed to know anything.

There was a lot of whispering and talking but it was because of the way SG1 was acting, not because they'd heard anything about General O'Neill. As far as he was concerned the men and women at the SGC still worshipped the ground he walked on. To them he was a hero, someone they all aspired to be. That's what made it so hard for Teal'c, Daniel and Sam.

The three friends had barely spoken to one another since the episode in Sam's office. She felt badly but couldn't bring herself to get the energy to even apologize to Daniel. She walked around in a daze most of the time. It's a good thing she wasn't working on anything important or she might have blown up the base.

Teal'c spent most of his time in his room, doing what she didn't know. He no longer had to Kel'noreem so maybe he was just watching reruns of old movies. Daniel was also in his office, probably madly translating some useless old writing about how many sheep and pigs someone had purchased or how many goats they'd gotten for their daughter.

She was sitting there staring when a call came through from Walter asking her to go to the Briefing Room. She wondered idly what it was about but really didn't care. She didn't care about much these days.

When she arrived she could see Daniel and Teal'c had been called too. They all walked in and sat down, not saying anything to each other and not even looking at each other. A couple of minutes later Landry entered closely followed by someone they hadn't seen in a while.

"General Hammond!", they all exclaimed at once. It was good to see him, but what was he doing here? He'd retired 6 months ago when Jack had taken over from him. He was in his uniform however, so this must be official.

He nodded but didn't reply, simply sitting down at the end of the table. He looked very serious. The way he was acting was very strange – the General they had all known would have shown some pleasure in seeing them again, even if something bad had gone down.

"General Hammond is here to brief us on what's going on in Washington." That's all he said as he turned to Hammond.

"I came to explain to Hank what's happening with Homeworld Security and he suggested I speak with you as the premier team at the SGC." He didn't look up as he was speaking but continued quickly. "I am working as interim Commander in charge. The Joint Chiefs are looking at new candidates as we speak but we expect it will take some time before a permanent replacement is found. In the meantime things will continue as always. Hank will continue in charge of the SGC and you will report to him as usual." With that the General stood up and looked like he was ready to leave.

SG1 looked at each other in confusion. Was that all? He'd come all this was to say that? It didn't make sense. They all wondered about J – O'Neill. What had happened to him? Had he been arrested? Would he be tried? Oh God, wondered Sam, would he be tried as a traitor? He would be executed if he was found guilty. She could feel her throat become tight.

"Ah General?" It was Daniel who spoke before Hammond had a chance to leave. He stopped but didn't turn to face the table.

"What is it Dr. Jackson?"

"Uh, we were wondering about Jack? I mean … what's happened to him?" They all waited breathlessly for the General's answer. At first Hammond didn't move but then they could see his back straighten and his shoulders tense. Turning slowly he looked at the three teammates sitting at the table.

"He has retired." Saying no more he turned and left.

Daniel, Teal'c and Sam all sat there stunned. Not just at the words the General had spoken but at the look of anger and disgust that was clearly written on his face. He looked like he could barely stand to be in the same room as SG1. What the hell was going on?

"Why didn't you tell them General?" Hank asked as they walked back in to his office. "Surely they can know now that it was just a sting operation. They've been feeling pretty badly about it."

"I shouldn't have to say anything Hank. They should have known it from the beginning."

"Oh come on Sir. The evidence was pretty damning. I saw the video tape too. It certainly made O'Neill look guilty."

"Yeah, but they've known Jack for over eight years. He counted on the fact that they would know it must be an act."

"So, when they reacted the way they did he was hurt?"

"Hurt is not the word I would use. Devastated is more like it. It just about destroyed him. In fact, I'm worried that it has."

"Is that why he resigned? I thought that maybe he'd been forced out as a result of this last operation – that there were some who may have believed it."

"Forced out? In fact, he was awarded a medal by the President for this last one. No, they didn't want him to leave, refused to let him retire. It was only when he threatened to go AWOL that they let him. The President and the Joint Chiefs were mightely pissed."

"But I still don't see why no one has told SG1."

"Jack didn't want them told. Made me promise – even told the Chiefs and the President that he'd raise hell if they were told."

"But why?"

"Because he's hurt and desperately wounded. It's his way of lashing back at them and we owe him that much for all he's done. Right now I'm so angry and disgusted at the lot of them I really hope they're suffering for this. I could barely stand to be in the same room with them and I've counted them my dear friends for many years." He walked restlessly around his former office.

"Where's Jack now? Has he gone to his cabin?" Landry wondered if maybe he should go and see his old friend.

"I don't know. No, he's not at his cabin. It's locked up tight. All his things have been cleared away from his house in DC. He's just disappeared."

"Aren't people worried? I mean, he could still be a target. He's an important man who has a lot of vital information."

"Yeah, I think the Pentagon is probably having a fit. The fact is, if Jack O'Neill wants to disappear he will and I doubt very much anyone, short of God, could find him."

"What about the Asgard thingy – the transmitter? Doesn't that work?"

"He insisted it be removed. Threatened to cut it out himself if they didn't get it out of him."

"God, he can be such an ass at times." Hammond had to grin at this. Landry obviously knew him well.

"Yes, but a brilliant one. He promised me that he'd let me know he was safe every few months. I doubt he'll tell me where he is – just that he's okay. I'll let you know when I hear from him. I'm afraid we'll have to be satisfied with that."

General Hammond looked around once more, remembering all the good times and the close calls they'd had together. He felt an incredible sadness as the loss of it all. He knew that SG1 and this place would never be the same.

"I have to go now Hank. Good luck with everything and call if you need anything. I'll be in touch in a few days once I've had a chance to catch up on things again."

"Thanks General and good luck." I just wished I knew what to do here, he thought to himself as the General left. He was the one that now had to deal with a broken and hurting team.

He wasn't surprised when a knock came on the door a short time later. He knew that Jackson would be the first to visit and he was right.

"What can I do for you Dr. Jackson?"

"Uh, I wanted to ask you about Jack – er General O'Neill."

"Yes? I don't think there's much I can tell you Doctor. I don't know much."

"It's true he's retired?"

"Yes", that much Hank could say.

"Uh, he's not in trouble or anything?"

"Trouble? Why would he be in trouble?"

"Uh, I thought you were aware of what had happened?"

"I wasn't aware that anything had happened Dr. Jackson. As far as I know Jack simply decided it was time to retire and left."

"Without any kind of goodbye or retirement party? Without even a word to his friends or those under his command?"

"Maybe he did tell his friends Dr. Jackson." Hank stood up and realized that he was on the verge of saying too much. "Will there be anything else?"

Daniel stood in shock. What did Landry mean? Jack had told his 'friends'? But he hadn't said anything to any of them. He was sure no one at the SGC knew, at least not yet.

"Did they do something for him in Washington?"

"I don't know Doctor. I can't imagine Jack would want anything like that. Now, if you'll excuse me I have work to do."

"Uh, just one more thing General."

"Yes?" Landry sighed. This was as difficult as he imagined it was going to be.

"Do you know if Jack is still in Washington or has he gone to his cabin?"

"I don't know. I believe he's left Washington but that's all I know. Now, I really must ask you to leave."

"Okay. Thanks General." A very sober and confused Daniel left the office. Something was wrong but he couldn't get a handle on it. Somebody in DC had obviously found out what Jack had been doing and rather than causing a scandal had simply forced him to resign. Otherwise they would have had some kind of a celebration or recognition of Jack's years of service and contribution to the country – hell to the whole damn universe!

He wanted to go and talk to Sam about it but relations between them had been so strained that he turned instead to Teal'c's room. He knew the man was suffering greatly over Jack's betrayal. He wouldn't be surprised were he to end up leaving the SGC and returning to his home world. If he did it would be a great loss, to earth and to Daniel himself who counted him one of his best friends.

Sam made her way to the General's office, not realizing that Daniel had already been. Her thoughts had been running along much the same paths as the archaeologist but there was something that was really bothering her and she couldn't quite figure it out. She, like Daniel, figured he'd been forced out but there was something in this whole mess that didn't sit right with her.

She laughed ironically to herself. Right? This whole thing had been wrong from day one. When they'd first found out what Jack was doing they'd been stunned, but sure that he was innocent. It was only as the evidence had piled up and they had seen the tapes that they had been forced to believe. Unfortunately, their source for information was impeccable!

She knocked softly on the General's door. The 'come in' sounded weary, as if the General didn't want to speak with anyone. Little did she know she was correct.

"Colonel Carter", he sighed, "what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to ask you about General O'Neill Sir."

"Of course you did." She looked confused at this so he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "At ease Colonel. What is it you want to know?"

"I'm just surprised that he retired and none of us knew about it. We've been his friends for years."

"Have you?" She looked up, a frown appearing on her forehead. The General's attitude was puzzling to say the least.

"Yes, of course Sir. We were a team for eight years."

"Hmmm", was all he said.

"Sir?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"I don't understand. What's wrong?"

"You tell me Colonel?" Okay, he'd had enough. He wasn't supposed to say anything about where Jack had gone or why he'd disappeared but he was not going to sit here and let people think that Jack was some kind of traitor!

"I understood that the last time the General was here you and the rest of your team refused to see him unless you were 'ordered to do so'. Those are your words exactly Colonel. They don't sound like the words of a friend to me."

"No Sir", she answered softly. "It's just that we were shocked and hurt by what he'd done. We couldn't, we didn't … we didn't know what to say or do."

"I see. You thought he was guilty of betraying the earth, is that it?"

"Yes. We know he was Sir. We saw the evidence that the Asgard showed us – that Thor showed us."

"I see, then there's really nothing more to say is there Colonel?" He stood up, waiting for her to rise and leave but she stayed seated. "Colonel?" he asked pointedly. It was not protocol to stay seated when your commanding officer stood up.

"Sir. Was Thor wrong? Did the evidence lie?"

"I think it's too late to be asking that now Colonel. Now please, I'd like you to leave. I'm placing you and the rest of SG1 back in the mission roster starting Monday. I suggest you get yourselves ready."

Sam finally stood up, looking dazed. "Where is he Sir? Where's General O'Neill?" She sounded panicked.

"I have no idea Colonel, and I suggest you don't try and find out. I don't think he has any desire to see you. You are dismissed." He sat down and looked at the papers on his desk, pretending to read them. After almost a minute he could hear the Colonel turn and leave his office. God, that had been one of the hardest conversations he'd ever had, but, like Hammond, he felt angry and disappointed at these people. He was pretty sure they'd destroyed Jack O'Neill, one of the most honest to goodness, decent men he'd ever met.

Practically stumbling out of Landry's office Sam knew she had to talk to Daniel and Teal'c right away. She had a horribly sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. With a blazing flash of understanding she knew, without a doubt, that they'd been wrong, that Jack hadn't betrayed anything. How she knew she couldn't say but she knew she wasn't wrong – at least not now. But she had been, they had been. They'd been so very wrong. Jack wasn't the one who had betrayed them – they were the one's who had betrayed him!

With a sob she started to run down the stairs, a startled Walter watching as she fled. Instead of taking the elevator to Daniel's office she ran the entire way. When she got there and saw it was dark she turned and began to run to Teal'c's room. The security guards looked puzzled as she ran past and one even tried to stop her but she shook him off simply saying that she needed to check on an experiment and he let her go.

Finally arriving at Teal'c she slammed the door open without even knocking. Two pairs of very startled eyes looked up at her.

"What is it Sam? What's wrong?" Daniel stood and walked towards her, worried at her wild look. Teal'c stood as well, knowing something serious had happened.

"We were wrong Daniel, Teal'c. We were wrong! Jack didn't betray the earth. We betrayed him because we believed the lies. Don't you see – he's left because of us. Oh my God, what have we done? What have we done?"


	2. Journey to Nowhere

_**For those of you worried that I didn't explain the 'sting' operation, please know that the explanation will come. It is part of the overall plot. I will not leave you hanging, I promise.**_

_**Okay, please be warned – this is full of angst – very full of angst!**_

"Another cup of coffee hon?" the bleach-blond, overly made-up waitress asked. He was on his third cup and figured he'd better quit. He'd stopped at the little diner after driving for ten hours straight, knowing he desperately needed some caffeine and a break.

"No thank you. Uh, can you tell me where I am?" The waitress looked surprised but pleased. This guy was a hunk all right, although he looked a little care-worn. Maybe he'd be interested in something more than coffee.

"Sure doll. You're in Wallace, Idaho – silver capital of the U.S.A. So, where ya coming from?"

Oh God, he should never have tried to speak with her. He could recognize that gleam in her eye and he was so not interested! Standing up he put his money on the table.

"No where important." With a curt "thanks" he turned and walked out of the diner.

Looking down the small main street he debated whether or not try and find a motel or to keep going. He'd thought about heading across the border into Canada but worried that someone somewhere would track his location as he went through customs. Shrugging, he decided he'd better find a place to stay and rest. He could decide tomorrow where to go.

That's how his entire journey had gone. For the last five months he'd simply driven, never knowing where he'd end up and not really caring. He'd seen more of his own country during that time than he had in his entire life. The sad thing was it hadn't meant a thing. He'd seen things that were stunningly beautiful, awe-inspiring, weird and just plain 'American' and it hadn't so much as left an impression or caused a tiny bit of interest or pleasure.

Mostly he was passing time because he had nothing else to do. He laughed without humor – he actually had nothing left to live for. Long ago, after returning from Abydos, he had promised himself he'd never again contemplate taking his own life. Well, he was sticking to that promise but that didn't mean he had any desire to live.

Somewhere down deep he recognized that he was suffering from severe depression. Considering all that he had gone through in his life it really wasn't surprising. In actual fact it was surprising that he'd gone on so long without being hit before. But even that small bit of self-awareness meant not a thing. He was existing, nothing more.

As he walked to his bike he allowed himself one brief thought about what was happening back in Colorado but then quickly shut that down. Since he'd undertaken this journey to nowhere he'd refused to think about anything or anyone. He drifted from one town to another, one place to another, not thinking, not feeling, not caring.

He allowed himself nothing that would bring pleasure. Actually, it wasn't so much a matter of not allowing– the fact was that nothing did. One of the few refuges he'd had after Charlie's death had been looking at the stars. That was now denied him. It brought too many memories, something he avoided at all cost.

He'd thought at one point on his journey, that physical pleasure would give him some release, some relief from the numbness. He'd gone so far as to find out where he could buy sex. He'd spoken to a woman and had headed off to his hotel with her. It was as she had begun to take off her blouse that he realized he had no interest. He stared at her dispassionately, knowing that there was no way his body would respond, even if he wanted it to, which he didn't. He'd reached for his wallet and gave her a wad of money, way more than she usually got for a night's work and called a cab. That was the last time he'd attempted that. The self-loathing he felt was the first bit of emotion he'd experienced in a long while.

He got on his bike, in Wallace, Idaho, and drove it a small distance to the Daisy Inn. It looked just like the dozens of other places he'd stayed. After paying– with cash as always – he made his way to his room. He took his small pack and entered the dingy space which was like countless others. As he walked in and tossed his pack on one of the beds he had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Slightly perturbed, he looked around. He noticed that one of the beds was a coin-operated vibrating bed. The slight pang told him that this place reminded him of the motel he and Teal'c had stayed at that time in Montana, when they were checking out Martin Lloyd. Like all other such random thoughts he quickly plucked it from his mind.

Lying down on the bed he closed his eyes. He knew he should probably get something to eat but again, it took too much energy to get up and find something. He could have had something back in the diner but hadn't been hungry. The fact was, he rarely was hungry. He existed mostly on coffee and ate only enough to keep going. He didn't even realize that he had lost so much weight that his normally baggy clothes now hung on him.

He also was suffering pretty severely from sleep loss. When he was sleeping was the one time he couldn't control his thoughts. They'd come randomly and fiercely, often leaving him gasping in pain – emotional, not physical. As a result he avoided sleeping as much as he could. Occasionally, when it got so bad that he knew he was a danger to others, he'd buy a case of beer and drink himself into a stupor. Other than those few times he stayed away from alcohol, knowing that eventually that would only cause the pain to get worse.

He let himself wonder, for a few brief moments, if people were looking for him. He had done as he promised and had sent the occasional message to George, letting the General know he was alive. His notes simply said exactly that – "I'm alive. J. O. and arrived without any indication of where they'd come from." He knew it was thoughtless and unkind but really, what else could he say? "Hi George, having a great time. Wish you were here." No, George knew he hadn't blown a hole in his head or anything like that and that was all he needed to know. The less he worried about his former officer the better. He figured that pretty soon people would forget Jack O'Neill and would simply go on with their lives. He wasn't worth much anyway.

He heard some kids outside his door and idly got up and peered out the window. He could see them looking at his bike but they weren't touching it so he didn't mind. He'd sold his truck, knowing it was too conspicuously 'him' and had purchased a Harley touring bike. It was something he had often dreamed of doing. He briefly thought of Sam and his conversation with her about riding across America on their bikes. It had been a fantastic dream but, like so many of his dreams, had never and would never come to fruition.

For some reason, he was feeling particularly maudlin tonight. The memories seemed to be poking their noses in no matter how hard he tried to keep them out. His thoughts flipped back to Sam and the way things were going before everything went to hell.

He'd been transferred to Washington and she'd gone to Nevada to work at Area 51. For the first time they thought it might just be time for 'them'. They'd taken things slowly, agreeing that rushing into a relationship would be dangerous. They needed to discover each other as people, as friends, not as commander and subordinate. Still, even though it was slow it was exciting and exhilarating. They talked regularly on the phone and sent little daily emails to each other. They were slowly connecting in a way that was new and different, but equally as meaningful. They had even begun to hint at a life together. After a few months it had finally taken the next step – they planned to go away together for the Thanksgiving weekend – when suddenly it had all gone wrong.

To this day he quite couldn't figure out why. Like he'd said to George, he would have bet his last dollar that SG1 would support him and believe in him. He hadn't doubted for even one second. Oh, he hadn't been happy when Thor had approached him and asked him to help route out the corrupt Asgard faction that had started to cause real trouble. He'd insisted that his former team be contacted and informed what was going on. Thor had resisted but then agreed. It was only when Jack realized that they were off-world on an extended mission and that the issue was urgent, that he'd agreed to go ahead with it.

He'd promised himself, and Thor, that he'd contact SG1 as soon as they were back and tell them what had happened. That was the reason he'd gone to the SGC, to talk to them. He could remember clearly the shock he'd felt when he'd received the message through Landry that they would only see him if ordered to do so.

Not understanding, but thinking that it must be some kind of joke that Daniel had perpetrated he'd walked down to the archaeologist's office. He was planning to go see Sam afterward and surprise her with a gift he'd had made for her. When he walked into Daniel's office it was to see all three members of SG1 standing there. He was so pleased to see them that he didn't, at first, notice their expressions.

"Hiya campers. Long time no see."

"General", Teal'c was the only one to answer.

"So, what's up? Didn't want to come up to see me?" He still thought it was all a joke. As the silence grew he began to feel uncomfortable. It was then he noticed the blank look on their faces.

"Hey! What's up guys? What's wrong?" He was seriously worried that something had happened, something that he hadn't heard about due to his little adventure with Thor.

"You tell us General." Daniel spoke softly but without emotion.

"Tell you what?" he asked, confused. "What's with you guys?" He looked at Sam, hoping she'd fill him in. She answered him all right, just not the way he'd expected.

"We found out General."

"Found out? Found out what?"

"What you did. Thor told us – no, he showed us. How could you?" she asked, also softly but this time with emotion in her voice. Unfortunately it was not the kind of emotion he had hoped to hear from her.

"How could I what?", he asked, a dreadful sinking feeling in his chest. He began to get an inkling of what this might be about.

"How could you betray everything we've worked for, fought for all these years? What about all the people who have sacrificed themselves to make this a safe place for all of us and then you throw that all away? I'm ashamed to say I even knew you. No – I take it back, I guess I never _did_ know you." She turned away, unable to go on.

Jack looked then at Daniel, hoping to see something, some sign of friendship or the affection he'd always counted on. There was nothing. As a last hope he turned to Teal'c, the man he considered a brother, the man who had fought at his side for so long. Teal'c said nothing either; he simply turned his back on Jack.

Jack stood there a moment longer, now knowing what it felt like to die while still breathing. He slowly moved, feeling a thousand years old, and left. He didn't try to tell them the truth, didn't try to convince them. No, his friends, his former friends, had killed whatever trust and belief he'd had.

As he walked away from Daniel's office he took the small package he'd brought with him, the necklace he'd had made on Orilla, - a tiny circle with a deep blue stone in the middle - and dropped it in the garbage. He then walked out of the SGC, knowing he would never return.

Dropping the curtain, forcing the memory back into the little box of hell he kept at the back of his mind, he returned to the bed and lay down. Maybe tonight was a drinking night, he thought. With the way the memories kept popping up he was going to need something.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

It had been almost six months. Six months since she'd seen the man she loved and stabbed him in the back. It had been six months of hell and it wasn't getting any better.

As soon as she'd realized what they'd done she'd spoken with Teal'c and Daniel. It had taken surprisingly little to convince them. When they'd seen the proof of what Jack had done they'd been shocked, shocked and horrified. But it had been Thor who had shown them; Thor who was their ally, their friend – and a huge fan of Jack O'Neill. If it had been anyone else they would have laughed and not believed. But, because it was Thor and because he had shown them irrefutable evidence they had all decided that Jack was guilty.

To this day she couldn't figure out why. Why had they even for a second considered it might be true? They knew him, they had believed in him but so quickly they had turned on him. She could still see his face as they'd condemned him, one by one. It was the face of someone who saw everything they believed in, everything they hoped for, come crashing down around their feet. The remembrance of his face kept her up night after night until she too suffered from loss of sleep. She was also thin, too thin, but it didn't matter. She deserved to suffer. She had destroyed the best thing in her life.

They had tried. Immediately after they realized what they had done they tried to make it right. They'd asked for leave and had flown to Washington. When it was clear he was gone they'd gone to Minnesota, sure they would find him at his cabin. It was locked up tight, no sign of anyone having been there for a long time. They spoke to a neighbor who said Jack had told him he wouldn't be back, that he was thinking of selling the place. A shame, the neighbor said, it'd been in the O'Neill family for generations.

Where could he be? They'd tried everything they could think of. They'd even enlisted Barrett's help, sure that the NID would know where he'd gone. But they didn't know either. Finally, in desperation, she'd arranged to see the President. He had agreed to see them but could tell them nothing. He hadn't been friendly – he blamed SG1 for the loss of his best General – but they could tell he wasn't lying. No one knew where Jack O'Neill had gone.

They had visited General Hammond who had refused to say anything at all. When he realized how terrible they felt, how remorseful, his attitude towards them had changed and thawed. He was their friend and he forgave them but still told them he could say nothing.

No, he didn't know where Jack was either and even if he did he wouldn't say. He'd promised, he said. It was the only thing Jack had asked of him and he owed the man that much and more.

They realized, then, the extent of the pain they had caused. They understood that Jack was lashing out at them – it was the one way he had now of causing them pain. He knew that they would realize, that they would learn that he was not guilty, that they had accused him unfairly, and he would know that they would come looking for him. By disappearing, by refusing to let them hear whether he was even alive, he returned the pain they had caused ten-fold. He caused them to suffer as he had suffered.

They understood and they accepted. They knew that they deserved this pain. But still, they searched.

"Anything Sam?" Daniel looked like he had aged ten years. Gone was the fresh-faced young man full of principles and wonder. In his place was a weary, guilt-ridden man.

"No, nothing. Landry spoke to me again."

"What did he say?" Daniel asked, with little interest.

"He wants us to stop. Said he wouldn't allow us to waste more time looking for Jack; that the General obviously doesn't want to be found and we should leave him in peace. He told me that we were to return to full duty status or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else we'd be reassigned."

"What did you say?"

"I resigned. I'm finishing out the week and then I'm out of here."

"And he just let you go like that?"

"No, he argued. Told me he wouldn't accept it."

"But?"

"I asked him what was the point of keeping me – I'm no good to the program or to anybody else. Doc won't let me off-world and I haven't exactly been productive in the science department. I think he realized it was no use keeping me on."

"So he's let you resign?"

"No, told me I could take personal leave – as much as I wanted. I think he's hoping I'll change my mind and come back."

"And do you think you will?"

"No. This isn't my life anymore. I don't want any part of it." She reached for the chain around her neck and rubbed the small object hanging from it. She knew it had become a tic, a habit she couldn't stop, but it was the one thing that gave her a small bit of comfort.

The day after they'd condemned Jack one of the cleaning staff had approached her. He told her they'd found a small package with her name on it in one of the garbage cans. Curious, she took it and had instantly recognized Jack's sprawling handwriting. She didn't know what to do with it, still so angry she almost tossed it out. Something made her put it in her pocket, but she refused to open it.

It wasn't until after she'd realized what they'd done that she remembered the small package. She'd run to her room and searched until she found the pants she was wearing that day and which were at the bottom of her hamper. Grabbing the package out of the pocket she ripped it open. A small note fell out. On it was written a simple message, "It reminds me of our journey and your eyes; of where we've been and where I hope we are going - together. Wear it with my love, Jack.

She'd sat down on the bed and had cried until there was nothing left in her. She determined, that day, that she wouldn't rest until she found him.

"So, what are you going to do?" She was brought back to the present by Daniel's voice.

"Do? I'm going to find him, that's what I'm going to do."

"Do you want some company?"

"What about your job here?"

"I quit yesterday. I just came in to clean out my things. I planned to find him too."

"What about Teal'c?"

"I am coming as well Colonel Carter." Teal'c had entered her room as they were speaking. She looked at him and bowed her head once, in acknowledgment. He solemnly returned the gesture.

"Good. Come to my place this evening and we'll decide what we're going to do."

As Sam looked at the friends who were like brothers she reached up and again touched the necklace that was like a talisman around her neck. They each knew they were embarking on a difficult journey, probably the most difficult one they'd ever undertaken. But, as always, they went fearlessly forward, knowing the reward was worth the battle.


	3. Plots Within Plots

He awoke to excruciating pain and nausea. He lay groaning, realizing that the headaches were steadily getting worse. This was the most painful he'd experienced yet. He didn't move for a long time, knowing that the slightest movement would cause him to lose the little bit that was in his stomach.

After a while the pain began to recede, although it was still a fierce ache behind his eyes. Opening them a crack he glanced at the clock by the bed and saw that it was 3:37 am. He'd slept for a while then, but figured that would pretty much be it for the night. The headache would not allow him to return to sleep.

He'd started experiencing the headaches a few weeks after he'd left Washington. At first they weren't too bad, just a dull ache behind his eyes. Used to constant aches and pains from years of punishing his body, he ignored them. As he travelled the roads and by-ways of the country, however, he began to notice that they came more and more frequently. It wasn't surprising, he thought. He had been under some stress lately – he laughed at the understatement – and hadn't been eating particularly well.

It was when they began to get more painful that he wondered if there was something else going on. He didn't think about it too much though, he simply kept knocking back Tylenol and hoping that eventually they'd go away. There were some days that he simply stayed in his hotel room, blinds drawn and a cool cloth over his eyes.

It was only in the last couple of weeks that he'd admitted to himself that whatever was causing the headaches could be serious. A small part of him wondered if he should be worried, that maybe he had a tumor or an aneurism or something. The worry quickly faded, however. Like everything else, it really didn't matter.

This night it took many hours before the pain went away completely. At one point it had gotten so bad he _had_ ended up throwing up. Fortunately, the garbage can was close! It was late in the morning before he felt well enough to even stand up. The cleaning lady had been by but he'd sent her away. He could stay another day in – what was the town he was in? - oh, yeah, the silver capital – Wallace.

The next day he was feeling better although still weak and he kept getting flashes of light in front of his eyes. There was definitely something wrong.

He went back to the little coffee shop down the street and had a cup of coffee, although he found he couldn't finish it since it really bothered his stomach. Standing up, he threw some money on the table and left, the blonde waitress following him regretfully with her eyes.

Okay, where to he wondered? He'd been here long enough and needed to go to a new place. No, that wasn't quite true. He didn't _need_ to go anywhere. In fact, he hadn't been going anywhere from the beginning of this journey; he had been running _away_ from somewhere and someone.

Don't go there O'Neill. Just get on your bike and drive!

It was when he saw the Canadian flag that he realized he'd driven to the border. Deciding that since he'd spent the last months travelling his own country he might as well try a new one he pulled into the short line of cars going through customs. He rummaged around in his pack and pulled out a passport. Always good to be prepared.

When it was his turn he reached over and handed the customs agent his passport. The man looked at it and then at him. The picture was a pretty good likeness although he'd been a bit younger when it was taken.

"Where are you from Mr. Cooper, the guard asked?"

"Uh, Albuquerque, New Mexico."

"And what is the purpose of your visit?"

"Just doing some sightseeing. I've always wanted to see the Canadian Rockies."

The man took one more look at the passport and handed it back. "Welcome to Canada."

"Thanks!" Turning on his bike he drove into the interior of British Columbia.

"Well", he thought, looking around, "there certainly are a lot of trees!"

By the time he stopped for lunch he had a bit of an appetite so grabbed a sandwich and a soda. "Must be that fresh mountain air!" He looked around, soothed for the first time on his journey by the majestic, unspoiled scenery around him. Maybe he'd stay here awhile.

By the time he got back on his bike he could feel the headache coming on. Damn, he'd hoped that it would stay away for a few days at least. It seemed like they were coming every day now. As he drove through the mountains the pain grew worse. Finally, late in the afternoon, he decided he'd better stop at the first motel he came to. His vision was starting to be affected by the headache.

The only problem was that there weren't any. Yes, the Canadian Rockies were majestic; they were also wild. He hadn't even passed a gas station in he didn't know how many miles – or should he say 'kilometers' now that he was north of the 49th?

The crash, when it came, happened so suddenly that he couldn't afterwards remember what had caused it. Had he simply lost control or had some animal or something jumped in front of him? As he sailed through the air he had one last thought; it didn't really matter.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I don't know what else to do Sam. We've tried everything." The three members of SG1 were sitting in Sam's living room. It had been four days since they'd left the SGC and they had thought about every possible avenue they could take to locate the General. Sam had even gone so far as to contact some of her father's old Air Force buddies, but to no avail. The man had simply and completely vanished off the face of the earth.

Wait a second, she thought. What if that was the case? What if he'd gone off world somewhere? Maybe he'd been allowed to go through the gate one last time, or the Asgard had transported him somewhere?

"Daniel, Teal'c, what if he's not on earth?"

"Where would he be?"

"I don't know. Maybe Othalla? Or he could have gone to one of the other planets where we have allies."

"It's possible, but I don't know why he would. If we take it as a fact that Jack is innocent there would be no reason for him to leave earth. He would have had no reason to hide."

"What if he's not hiding? What if he just wanted to get away from everything" her voice faded out, "from us."

"I guess, but if he has gone off world it's going to be just as difficult to find him; more difficult probably as we don't have access to the gate anymore."

"Unless we get someone to help us."

"Who? Landry hasn't said anything in all this time and I don't think he's going to. Personally, I don't think he knows anything. Hammond? Well I think he _does_ know something, but he'll never tell."

"What about Thor?" The silence was bitter. She looked at her two friends, their blank expressions saying a lot.

'Yeah, like we can expect help from him. He's the one who accused Jack in the first place."

"But we've never found out why. We've never spoken to him since that day."

"We haven't exactly had the opportunity. It's not like he drops by very often."

"Well, maybe we should contact him."

"How? Do you have an Asgard communicator Sam? The fact is, we're not at the SGC anymore. We can't just dial up our allies whenever we feel like it."

"No, but we still have friends there Daniel. They can."

"Of whom do you speak Colonel Carter?"

"I was thinking Walter or Siler. Heck even Ferretti would do it."

"Would they not be severely disciplined for doing so?"

"Yes, and if it were for any other reason I'd never ask them. But this is to help the General. I think we have to, and I think they'd be glad to help."

In the end it was decided that the person to ask was Ferretti. He was often the duty officer in charge when Landry wasn't on base. That would be the best time for him to try and make contact with Thor. He'd need help however but, when approached, he had said he'd handle it. He hadn't even asked why. They had told him it was to help General O'Neill and that's all he needed.

It was two days later before they heard anything. Sam simply got a call from Walter telling her that they'd sent the 'invitation' to their friend and she should be hearing something soon.

"Sam?" Daniel walked in and sat down on the couch. They were waiting at her house again for any news. None of them wanted to be alone right now.

"Yeah Daniel?" She looked up at the troubled face of her friend.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I was just thinking, maybe we're being selfish. Maybe we should leave Jack alone. He obviously doesn't want to be found, doesn't want anything to do with us. Are we being fair to him by looking for him? Will it just be even more painful for him?" He paused for a moment and then looked at Sam. "I wonder if this is more for us, more to assuage our guilt than for him."

Sam sat quietly for a few moments. She was curled into a little ball on the couch. Reading her body language Daniel knew it was a protective posture. Sam was hurting, badly, and was doing everything she could to keep the pain at bay. He thought she looked diminished somehow. Not like the strong capable woman she had proved herself to be over the years.

"I've wondered the same thing Daniel. I've thought that maybe we should just quit, just leave him be. But then something, I don't know what, tells me to keep going, to keep looking for him. Is this just for us? I don't think so. I know he'll never forgive us for what we did. I know I can't expect absolution or forgiveness. I'll live with this for the rest of my life, and it's only fair that I do so. What I can do is let him know it wasn't him, that it was my – our – weakness, not his. I don't want him to add this burden to his already troubled soul. I want him to know that we were wrong, we are sorry, so very sorry – and then I will never trouble him again."

"I guess you're right. I hope so. I just have this feeling we're about to stir up things that may best be left alone."

"Daniel." She stopped, not sure how to continue.

"What?"

"There's something else. I don't know if it's just me or what but I know there's something – some reason we have to find him. I keep feeling like something is wrong, something more than just what we did. I feel like the General is in danger and we have to get to him." She stopped and grimaced. "Am I being foolish? Am I just making up an excuse to go after him?"

"I do not believe so Colonel Carter." Teal'c had entered the room and had been listening for the last few minutes. "I too have such a feeling. I believe there is something very wrong and it is up to us to find out and to 'watch O'Neill's six." The other two looked started and a small grin appeared on their faces. They knew that Teal'c was trying to do his small part in making them feel better.

"Okay – since it's true confession time I'll admit that I've had a funny feeling too. I thought I was being over-imaginative but if you both are feeling the same then I think that we'd better keep looking." Daniel looked somewhat relieved, feeling like they weren't making a huge mistake in going after Jack.

"Indeed, and I believe we must hurry!"

Samantha leaned her head back on the couch. "I just wish Thor would get here!" The words had barely left her mouth when a brilliant flash of light appeared and three human bodies disappeared out of Samantha Carter's living room.

"Whoa! I really gotta say I hate that! I don't know how Jack always handled it so calmly." Daniel looked around to see his two friends beside him. A moment later Thor appeared.

"Greetings SG1. I received your message. In what way can I help you?"

The three friends looked at the little alien who had been their friend for so long. For the first time in their relationship with him they didn't know what to say. They all felt angry and betrayed by what Thor had shown them. They couldn't understand it. He had always been such a Jack supporter that it was confusing.

"Thor." Daniel, as usual, was the first to speak. "We've come to ask if you know where Jack – General O'Neill – is."

Thor looked up and blinked slowly. It was amazing how much expression could be conveyed in those eyes. Right now they appeared confused.

"Is he not at his home or the place he works?"

"No. He's been gone for months Thor. We don't know where he is."

"Have you not used the locator chip?"

"He doesn't have it anymore. He had it removed."

"He did? But we have been monitoring him." Thor walked over to one of his control panels and moved one of the oval shaped controllers around. Immediately a screen appeared and on it a moving 'blip'.

"You see. He is still present in your Washington D.C."

The humans looked on in surprise. It was true, they could see the blip moving on the map, which was clearly of DC. It was Daniel that first noticed something odd.

"That blip – the way it's moving – does it look strange to you guys?" He turned to Sam and Teal'c. Teal'c looked blank, not seeing anything. It was Sam who narrowed her eyes and looked carefully at the dot of light.

"Yeah – it's stopping and starting and moving in a rather strange pattern through the city. Thor, is there any way you can hone in on it. I don't see how it could be the General but we should check."

"Yes Colonel Carter. I will bring the image closer." He fiddled with the controls until the screen became magnified. What they saw almost made Daniel laugh. Yeah, it would be something Jack would do.

Thor realized that the humans, at least Daniel Jackson, knew what had happened. He turned to the younger man.

"Do you understand this?" he asked.

"Oh yeah." The others looked at him in confusion. "Jack obviously took the locator and planted it on a city bus. That way he'd know the Asgard would see it moving around and wouldn't question. If he'd just destroyed it, or stored it, they would have gotten suspicious. This way they didn't check on him. I assume that when looked at from so far away they couldn't tell that it was effectively going around in much the same pattern every day.

"I do not understand Daniel Jackson. Why would O'Neill wish to hide his location? And when did he remove the locator?" Thor was getting worried. His friend and a person of great import to the Asgard people looked like he had disappeared.

"It was right after we saw you last."

"But that was more than a year ago of your earth time Daniel Jackson. He had the locator after that time"

"A year ago? No it was when we saw you six months ago Thor – when you showed us that film of Jack."

Thor simply looked at him, blinking even more slowly. "I do not understand. I was here at that time but only spoke with General O'Neill. I did not see the rest of SG1 as you were not on earth at the time. At that time General O'Neill was helping us with a small problem. I had approached him on behalf of the Asgard High Council and asked him to work together with us. He agreed and the problem was solved to our satisfaction. I then returned immediately to report back to the Council. The last I spoke with him he was planning to go to the SGC to explain to you what had happened. He indicated he did not want to do something like that without your knowledge. He said you would 'whup his ass' if you found out he'd done something and not informed you. I did not see any of you at that time."

The team mates sat stunned, unable to process what Thor was telling them. Their instincts had been right on. Something bad was happening, they just didn't know what it was.

"Thor, something really fishy is going on here." Thor looked at them and nodded. The fact that he even understood Daniel's expression showed how much he'd hung around Jack.

"I believe you are correct Daniel. Please explain to me why you believe you saw me."

"Okay, but first could you tell us what it was that Jack was doing for you? I think we need to get all the puzzle pieces together here to figure out what is going on. Then we need to find the General. I have a really bad feeling about this.

"As do I Daniel Jackson." "Me too Daniel." His team mates spoke up. Thor blinked.

"It came to our attention about eight of your months ago that there was a plot in progress that was being planned by a radical faction on our planet."

"Wow, I didn't know you had radical Asgard."

"We do, however we do not advertise that fact." Thor was a little put out by the whole thing. Sam figured he didn't like having to air Asgard dirty laundry. She almost giggled at that – Asgard clearly didn't have laundry – she wondered what they aired instead. She stopped herself, knowing that her nerves were getting to her.

"As I was saying, the Council was concerned. There were rumors that certain of our citizens were engaged in illegal activities."

"What kind of activities Thor?" She wondered what Asgard crime consisted of.

"As you know Colonel Carter, the main concern of my race is to stop the degeneration caused by generations of cloning. We are working to reverse the effects and to help our people repair the mistakes we made."

The team members all nodded. They knew this well – they all remembered Loki and his little escapade.

"There are those amongst us who still believe that the Tauri are our best hope. Specifically those like O'Neill who are genetically superior." Daniel had a wry thought that Jack would love this. He got a kick out of the fact that he was 'superior' to either of the science geeks, as he affectionately referred to them.

"We found evidence that some of these ones had made contact with people on earth. Together with their human partners they were plannning to steal some of these superior ones and use them in experiments which would supposedly help our race. We knew of only one Asgard who was involved but we were sure there were others. We did not know who the humans were who were involved. We enlisted O'Neill's help to try and uncover the guilty ones. He had to pretend to want to take part in the plot for personal reward. Once he had gained their trust he was to uncover what was going on and the people and Asgard involved would be apprehended and punished."

"And did it work?" Sam asked calmly, too calmly. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt sick. This story was familiar."

"Yes. We uncovered three Asgard who were involved. They have been taken back to Othalla. Of the humans there were also a small number. They had been, at one time, a part of what you call your NID. They were arrested. I returned and told the High Council that the plot had been stopped."

"Why did these people and uh Asgard, believe that Jack would be interested in this kind of thing. Surely they knew his reputation."

"We worked with your President to create a 'trail of deception' I believe O'Neill called it. They made it appear that he was in desperate need of money after having lost a great sum due to unwise activity on his part." When the team looked confused he added, "gambling". He also made it appear as if he was ill – that he had 'cracked' was the word he used. He indicated that he could make them believe that he was tired of everything and wanted his 'just rewards'.

All of this sounded very familiar to the team, although it had been presented slightly differently to them by their Thor (or 'DoppleThor' as Sam started to think of him).

"Thor, six months ago we were approached by you – or someone we thought was you. This false Thor told us that General O'Neill was involved in a plot, just like the one you described. But, according to him, Jack was not working undercover but was, in fact, deeply involved for his own sake. False Thor told us that Jack was working with the NID and had 'gone bad'. He claimed that it was the General who had contacted the Asgard and that he was the one who had initiated the deal."

"I know nothing of this Colonel Carter. It was not me and I do not know who it would have been. I assume you did not believe this 'Thor'. Did you tell General O'Neill?"

The three looked sick at Thor's comment. Even the alien immediately knew that Jack wasn't guilty.

"No Thor, we didn't. It wasn't just what this false-Thor told us. He also showed us a video."

"What was on this video?"

"The first part showed Jack bargaining with the Asgard. He told them that in return for providing people with the Ancient gene, he wanted, not only money, but a part of the 'genetic results'. He claimed to want something that would 'renew and restore his body'." Sam stopped, unable to continue. In the tape Jack had talked about his 'girlfriend' and how he wanted to impress her with a new young body since she was so 'sexy'. It had just about killed her to hear that.

Knowing how uncomfortable this was for her Daniel continued. "The next part showed Jack actually delivering some human subjects. There were men, women – even children. With him were also some of his 'co-conspiritors' the people who had obviously helped in the operation. Once he had been paid he turned on the men with him and ruthlessly shot them, killing all of them. When the Asgard seemed surprised he'd laughed and told them that they weren't needed any more, that he had things 'under control'. It was …. really awful Thor."

By the time they had finished their explanation Thor was looking at them with what, for an Asgard, was a very perturbed expression. He began to speak.

"But you did not believe this 'video'." It wasn't a question. He spoke as if sure of their answer. "What did the General say about all of this? I am surprised he did not contact me."

Neither Daniel or Sam could answer; the shame causing them to be mute. It was Teal'c who finally spoke.

"To our shame we believed what we had seen. We believed that General O'Neill was guilty. According to the false 'you' the earth authorities had been notified so we did nothing."

"That's not true Teal'c." said Daniel. "We did do something. We accused our best friend of being a traitor, of betraying earth. We did that."

"But I do not understand." Thor was looking confused. "How is it that you would believe this? You knew General O'Neill well. He would not take part in such a thing."

The surety in which Thor spoke was like a dagger to the friends hearts. Thor, who knew Jack less well than did they, didn't even think twice. He'd known instantly that it couldn't be true.

"We don't _know_ Thor. Maybe it was because it was you – or someone we thought was you. Maybe it was seeing it on the video. It seemed so real. There was no doubt. You – he – indicated it had happened and that Jack would be arrested. We were horrified but we didn't doubt. I don't know why we didn't. We are all so sorry – so ashamed – but we didn't doubt it was true."

"But you have told this to O'Neill now? He knows that you no longer believe him to be guilty?" Thor looked at each of them individually.

"No – we want to – but that's the problem. He's disappeared. That's why we contacted you. We thought you might know something, know where he is. We're worried Thor. We're worried there is something bad happening."

"I'm afraid you are right Colonel Carter. We thought that everything had been solved and the perpetrators captured. It appears now that that was only a diversion, that something much more serious is happening."

"But what?"

"I am not sure but I am afraid O'Neill is in great danger. When I told you about the plot to capture humans for study I was telling the truth. There is a movement, although small, that believes we must do so for our own survival. What you do not know is that the prime target is O'Neill himself. He is more advanced than any other subject we have seen. His genetic material could indeed solve our problems and he has been the subject of much propaganda by the radical faction."

"But I thought you made it so no one could screw with his 'genetic material' after Loki cloned him."

"That is true, however one of our scientists was able to determine a way to reverse that process. He is one of the ones behind the movement to take what we need from O'Neill and other humans like him."

"Was he captured in the sting operation?"

"No – we could not prove that he was involved. The Asgard that we apprehended were, we believe, just 'small potatoes'" (Daniel couldn't help but get a small grin – here was more evidence of the 'O'Neill influence'). However there did not appear to be other activity so the Council has declared the matter closed."

"Can you tell them that it's open again? With the help of the Asgard we can locate Jack, I'm sure of it."

"I do not believe that is a good plan."

"Why not?" Sam asked, frowning.

"Because it is my belief that one or more of the Council are involved. We kept the matter with O'Neill quiet. No one else was to know. I think this must go very high. O'Neill is in grave danger."

"Well, can you help find him then?"

"I will try and assist, but without the locator I am unable to do much. I have only this scout ship at my disposal and I am alone. I can attempt to monitor things but that is all I can do. I am sorry. I will give you this communicator with which to contact me. I will remain in orbit until we find O'Neill."

The members of SG1 were quiet, not sure what to do. They were frightened, very frightened. There was a plot in the works, of that they were sure. What if Jack had already been captured?

"Do you think they have him Thor?"

"It is possible, although the scientist of whom I spoke has been much in evidence lately. He has been trying to stir thing up on our home world. If he had O'Neill I would think he would stay quiet. Also, they would have had to rely on the locator to find him. It may be that by removing that he has saved his life."

"What are we going to do?" Daniel turned to his friends. "We have to figure out a way to find him. We've looked in all the places he could have gone. Where else do we look?"

"I believe we return and speak with General Hammond."

"But Teal'c, he doesn't know anything."

"That may not be true. He said he did not know where Jack was but he may know something. He also told us that he had promised O'Neill he would not say anything to us. That indicates he had a conversation with O'Neill before he left."

"But what makes you think he'll tell us anything now. There's still his promise to Jack."

"I believe when he understands that O'Neill may be in danger that he will relent. We can only try."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. He can only say no. Thor can you – " Before the words had even left Daniel's mouth the three disappeared in another flash of light, only to reappear in General Hammonds' living room.

"What the HELL?" Hammond sat up suddenly from the chair where he had been reading. To say he was shocked was an understatement.

"We're sorry Sir. Thor beamed us down kind of suddenly there."

The General sighed. "What is it now?" He should be used to things like this. SG1 had never made his life easy – or boring.

"It's Jack, General." Before Daniel was able to continue Hammond put up his hand, stopping the doctor.

"I've already told you I cannot and will not say anything. I do not know where General O'Neill is and there is nothing else I have to say."

"Please General, just listen." Sam walked over and sat in the chair beside General Hammond. Trying to speak in a calm, reasonable voice she told the General everything that had happened.

"So that's why you thought Jack was guilty?" When they all nodded he heaved a huge sigh – both of relief and of irritation.

"Okay that explains it a bit, although I'm still surprised you believed it all so completely. I thought your condemnation of him was simply from hearing about the original sting operation. I think Jack did too. He probably wouldn't have been quite so upset if he'd known about the video."

"I don't know General", Sam spoke quietly. "It was still awful of us. We shouldn't have believed it for a second and I still can't figure out why we did. We'll never forgive ourselves, and we don't expect General O'Neill to forgive us either, but we need to help him. We think the Asgard are after him, to use him to experiment on. We have to stop that so please, if you know anything, anything at all can you tell us?"

He considered Sam for a few minutes, clearly struggling with what he should do. On the one hand he'd promised Jack, and himself, that there was nothing that would make him tell his former team anything. But then, that promise had been made without the knowledge that Jack's life was in danger.

"All right. I don't know much but maybe it'll help a bit." The team all looked relieed. At this point anything would be better than the information they had.

George stood up and walked over to a box sitting on his mantle. Opening it he took out three or four envelopes and handed them to Sam.

"What are these Sir?" she asked in confusion. Glancing down at them she could see they were addressed to the General in what was unmistakably Jack's handwriting. Her hands began to shake as she opened the first one. A small note fell out and she picked it up. All that was written on it was 'I'm alive. J.O.' Looking inside each envelope she realized that that was it – there was nothing more. There was no return addresses on the envelopes. Looking at the stamp she could only make out some blurry words but was unable to read them.

"That's it?"

"Yes Colonel, I'm afraid so. Before he left I asked Jack to please let me know that he was still alive. As you can see he took me at his word. He wanted to disappear and only agreed to this out of friendship for me."

"Oh God." Sam covered her hands with her eyes. What had they done to this man that he would give up everything and everybody? He was alive, at least the pieces of paper seemed to indicate that that was the case – but she knew he was only alive in body. His spirit and soul had been dealt a lethal blow.

"Is there anyway of figuring out where they were sent from?" Daniel had walked over and picked up the letters which Sam had dropped. He examined them closely as well. Squinting, he tried to read the postmark.

"I think it says N. Mexico." He looked up at the General. "Does he know anyone there?"

"Not that I'm aware of I'm sure Jack knows lots of people all over."

"Sam? Do you know if he has any friends down that way?" She looked at Daniel, knowing that he had to ask, that he assumed she knew more than anyone about Jack O'Neill. Unfortunately, she simply shook her head.

"Do we know where in New Mexico?" Teal'c also examined the letters. "I see something that begins with the letter A. Is there a place in that state that begins with 'A'.

"Yes – Albuquerque. That could be it. But how does that help us?"

"Can we not go to this 'Albuquerque' and ask if they have seen him."

"I don't know if that would help Teal'c – it's a big city."

"But we do not have any other clues."

"He's right, Daniel. At least it's something we can _do_. General, should we inform the Pentagon?"

Hammond thought for a moment. There was something niggling at him but he couldn't tell what it was. "I don't think so Colonel. I'll have a private conversation with the President but I'm worried that there may be some moles on our side as well. This seems to have been a well-orchestrated operation. I'd like to know how that video of O'Neill was made."

"Hell, I never thought of that." Daniel looked angry. "Are we thinking of that alien device that is able to mimic members of the SGC?"

"But I thought that was carefully locked up after the last time - when Jack was accused of shooting Kinsey?"

"It was. That's why I think someone with very high security clearance is involved. I'm going to get to the President. We can check out the device but, if it _was _used, I expect the original is back in its place already. No, there's something going on and I have a feeling that it's not just the Asgard who are involved!"

The team looked very sober, each wondering what this meant and how they could stop what was happening. Eventually Daniel looked up. "Thank you General. We'll let you know if anything happens." Turning to his friends he spoke again. "I guess we're off to Albuquerque!"

_**As homage to my home country – and the place where Stargate SG1 was filmed –I'm setting part of the story in British Columbia (B.C) Canada. B.C. is one of the most beautiful places on earth with its majestic Rockies and I sincerely recommend a visit. I'd also like to point out that there are trees, lots and lots and lots of trees in B.C. I believe it's where RDA's comment came from – which was then incorporated into the show. **_

_**FYI: When I say 'north of the 49th it refers to the 49th parallel, the dividing line between much of Canada and the US. Canadian's often refer to themselves as living 'north of the 49th'.**_


	4. Grandmas and Jarheads

"Time to wake up Mr. Connor. Come on, open those gorgeous eyes of yours." The soft voice managed to reach through the fog in his brain. His first thought was 'how did she know what his eyes were like if they were closed'?

He tired to do as she asked but for some strange reason someone had crazy-glued them shut. They just didn't seem to want to open. Okay then, he'd just keep them closed and go back to sleep. It was much more enjoyable anyway.

"No, don't fall asleep again Mr. Connor. We need you awake."

Who the hell was Mr. Connor, Jack wondered? And why did they need him awake? Oh my God, it must mean something was wrong with his team. He had to go get them, he had to save them. With that thought he worked hard to pry his lids open. Geesh, not only had someone used crazy glue, they must have put ten pound weights on his eyelids.

As the light grew brighter and a hazy picture of a ceiling appeared he heard that voice again. "That's it Mr. Connor, you're doing fine." A soft, cool hand touched his, giving him encouragement and connecting him to this place.

"Sa…, Dnl" he tried to gasp but nothing came out right. He tried again but the words wouldn't come. He needed to make them understand. He needed to know what had happened. Where were Sam and Daniel and Teal'c? What if they'd been hurt? He had to help them. He tried to roll over, to get out of the bed but the hand stopped him.

"Whoa Mr. Connor. Take it easy. You're okay but you're not going anywhere."

There it was again, that 'Mr. Connor'. He finally was able to get his eyes to focus a bit better. The white blur that was beside the bed turned into the shape of a woman. As he peered at her he suddenly realized that it was a nurse, but not one he recognized.

"Na Cnr … Neillll."

"Neal? Is that your name? Okay Neal, I want you to take it easy. You were in a bad accident but you're going to be okay. You have a broken leg and some bad scrapes and cuts but otherwise you're fine. I just need to check you out and make sure that you know who and where you are."

He looked at her in confusion. It dawned on him that he wasn't in the Infirmary. So where was his team? He tried again.

"Teee?"

"Tea? I'm sorry, I can give you some water. I expect you're thirsty." She reached over and took a tumbler of water with a straw and gave him a drink. It was heaven.

This time when he spoke the words came out a bit clearer. "Where's... my team?" he asked, still worried.

"Team? I'm sorry Neal, I don't know what you mean. You were found after your motorcycle crashed. There was no one else there. Were you travelling with someone?"

It took a couple of seconds – a couple of seconds of confusion and trying to work things out with his tired and drugged brain. When it came back to him he was glad for those drugs. He knew that without them the shock and pain would have been bad enough to have let the nurse see his distress.

He no longer had a team. He no longer had friends. He was well and truly alone with only himself to worry about. He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep. The nurse kept calling him, wanting him to wake up but he ignored her. He desperately needed the safe haven of a drugged sleep.

The next time he woke up things were much clearer and he remembered instantly what had happened. At least he knew he had had an accident with his motorcycle. He knew he had been driving through the Canadian Rockies and that he was alone. Other than that he didn't have a clue!

He pulled the cord to call for the nurse, noticing for the first time that his leg was in a cast. With a sharp pang he realized it was the same leg he'd broken in Antarctica. He skirted around that thought as quickly as he could.

"Are you finally going to stay awake for me Neil?" It was the same nurse who had come by the last time he'd woken up.

"Yeah", he whispered. He didn't have the strength to speak loudly. "Where am I?"

"You're in hospital in Penticton." When he looked puzzled she explained. "That's a city in central B.C. You had an accident on the highway about 50 kilometers south of here. A trucker saw you wipe out and called for an ambulance."

"What's wrong?"

"You mean what are your injuries?" He nodded, not really interested but he supposed he might as well know. He had a vague recollection of her telling him something but it was all really fuzzy.

"Well, the main thing is a broken leg. You have quite a few deep contusions which will probably be pretty painful. It looks like you went sliding face first across the highway for quite a while. I think you left a lot of skin behind you!"

Ooh, he thought. Sounds peachy. He'd wiped out once as a teenager and he remembered the pain of scraping off your skin. In some ways it was worse than broken bones.

"Other than that and some pretty vibrant bruising you're okay. It's quite a miracle from what I hear. The trucker said he was sure you were a goner. You were travelling at full speed when suddenly you went out of control. He said you sailed through the air for a good 20 meters before landing and travelling another 20 on the road. You came to a stop when you hit a tree head first."

He looked at her in surprise. He too thought it strange that he had gotten off so lightly.

"You must have had one helluva good helmet. The doctor couldn't even find evidence of a head wound. Well, I've been a nurse long enough not to doubt that sometimes strange things happen. Whether or not they're miracles I don't know. I just know to accept them and be happy."

Well, he didn't know about the being happy part but he guessed he could be glad he hadn't ended up a vegetable or paralyzed. All the time she'd been talking the nurse had been checking his pulse and temperature and rearranging things on his bed. She was definitely the epitome of efficiency!

"How long?"

"When did they bring you in? Well, let's see – it would be the day before yesterday I guess. You slept through all of yesterday. Refused to wake up for me. I bet you give your wife a lot of grief! You're a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"No wife."

"No? How about someone else to contact. You said something yesterday about a team. Do you want us to call someone and tell them where you are?" She reached in her pocket and pulled out a small notepad and a pen. She stood expectantly, waiting for him to give her a name.

He thought about it for a few seconds. There wasn't anyone really. He'd cut ties with everybody when he'd left Washington. The only person he could possibly contact would be George or maybe Bill, but for what purpose? It would just worry them – and would give away his location.

"No – there's no one." When he didn't continue the nurse looked concerned.

"Are you sure? There must be someone – friend, family, boss – someone we can contact? You'll need someone to help you when you leave here."

"Why? I'm fine on my own."

"Well, that may be so normally, but right now you have a badly broken leg. The doctor's not going to let you walk on it for a few weeks. How are you expecting to manage without help? I understand you're not even from around here. You're motorcycle is nothing but scrap. You sure I can't call anyone?"

"No. I'll be fine on my own. I always am." The tone of his voice must have conveyed something to the nurse because she looked at him with a worried frown on her face. He again closed his eyes. As an avoidance technique it was priceless. Anyway, he was really tired. He slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Well Mr. Connor." This time it was a male voice speaking to him. He opened his eyes and there stood what was obviously the Doctor. Why was it they all spoke with that overly cheerful voice? And what about this Connor crap? Where was - Whoops! He just remembered. He'd been travelling on a false passport. He'd had some made years ago when working black ops. He'd kept them, figuring they might come in handy some day.

He realized the doctor was speaking and tried to focus " … were really lucky. We can't quite figure it out. By all rights you should be dead, according to the trucker. I understand he's decided to go back to church – figured he saw the hand of God in your accident."

What? What was the man talking about? He'd been lucky but hell, it could have happened to anybody. He must have just hit at exactly the right angle.

"The amazing thing", the doctor continued to drone on – maybe he's related to Jackso – no, listen to the doctor – is that your wounds seem to be healing amazingly fast. Looking at these cuts I would have said this had happened over a week ago, not just three days."

Jack glanced down at his arm and frowned. The Doc was right. These didn't look like new wounds. What was this all about? Suddenly recalling the Doctor's words about the 'hand of God' Jack wondered if somehow Thor had intervened. But if that was the case, why didn't he wake up in a pod rather than a hospital? And it's not like he was totally healed. He couldn't imagine Thor leaving him with a broken leg.

"So, Nurse Johannson informs me you're alone and don't have any family, is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's a problem. We can't release you without someone to care for you. You're much better but between the scrapes, bruises and broken leg you're going to have an awful lot of trouble getting around. We'll have to keep you until we can find a solution."

What! Stay in a hospital? Over his dead body, fumed Jack. No, he'd get out of here if it was the last thing he'd do!

"What about Molly?" The nurse asked. "She'd probably be willing to take him. It would help her out as well."

Who was this Molly, he wondered, who would be 'willing to take him'? Made him sound like some kind of mongrel dog!

"Yes, that's a good idea, Susanna. Why don't you give her a call and ask."

"Hey, wait a minute! Don't you think you should ask me first? I'm not just some stray you can give away."

The Doc raised his eyebrow, which immediately reminded Jack of a Jaffa he knew. Just like this Jaffa the eyebrow shut him up and he meekly waited while the nurse made the call.

"Well, Molly said she'd take you. You'll have to pay room and board but she'd make your meals and clean."

"Who is she and why would she take me in?" he asked, still grumpy over the way this had been handled.

"Molly is a dear, sweet soul who's had a hard life. She's a widow who lives on a very limited income. She has a small house and she often tries to rent out a room to supplement her income. It's pretty easy in the summer since we get a lot of tourists in the area, but this time of the year it's harder to come by renters. She recently got custody of her young grandson when her son and daughter-in-law were killed in an accident. Christopher is seven years old and is quite a handful. More than Molly can handle I think. She's trying to do the best by the boy but she's in her eighties and doesn't really have the energy. You would be doing her a favor to stay with her. Just offer a fair rent and she'll take good care of you."

When the nurse had first begun to speak he had actually thought it might be a perfect situation. Then she'd mentioned the grandson. Normally Jack loved kids – adored them actually – but right now he didn't' know if he could deal with a young boy. He knew his emotions and his mental state were pretty fragile. All his energy was consumed by simply surviving and avoiding thinking about or dealing with anything. He worried that this boy might make him want to care again – and frankly, that terrified him. He knew if the damn burst he might not survive it.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Okay, we're in Albuquerque. What do we do now?" Daniel looked at Sam, who was dressed in a white sundress and sandals. God, Jack would love to see her like this, he thought. He felt a serious pang at the thought of what had been destroyed by their actions.

"Where would Jack go in a place like this?" Sam asked.

"Would he not have had to stay in a hotel?" Asked Teal'c. "Maybe that is where we should begin."

"Good idea Teal'c", and so had begun the journey. For days they made their way from hotel to hotel, motel to motel, rooming house to rooming house. No one recognized Jack at all. There were about to give up when Teal'c discovered one more motel they hadn't tried. It was a little ways outside of town which is why they hadn't targeted it. It was when they saw the name that hope grew.

Parking in the lot, Sam made her way up to the office of the "Gate to the Stars" Inn. Daniel and Teal'c stayed behind.

"Hello", she called. After a couple of minutes an older woman came out of the back. With gray hair and and a frilly pink apron she looked like everyone's picture of the perfect grandma.

"Can I help you dear?" she asked. "Do you need a room?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I'm looking to find a friend of mine. I'm wondering if you've seen him?" She handed over the picture of Jack. It was a picture they'd taken at one of their team barbeques. Jack was grinning at the camera, holding up a piece of very black steak on the end of a fork.

The woman looked at it for a long time, a slight frown between her eyes. Eventually she looked up at Sam who had to suck back a breath. This woman knew something.

"Why are you looking for him?" she asked, her voice holding no emotion.

Sam thought about telling the story they'd made up – that an uncle had died and the lawyers were looking for him to settle the estate. Looking into this woman's eyes she knew that that story wouldn't wash. In a second she decided to tell the truth – at least the shortened version of it.

"He's a close friend – a very close friend. I've known him and worked with him for nine years. A few months ago something happened – something very bad – and he was hurt. I've come to find him and ask his forgiveness. I'm afraid for him." She looked directly at the other woman, trying to convey her sincerity.

"Do you love him?" the old lady asked.

With a soft sob Sam nodded. "With my whole heart."

The woman nodded in return and handed back the picture. "He came in here quite a few months back. He was a nice man – quiet but polite. I could tell something was seriously wrong. I thought maybe he's lost someone, that someone close had died. For a while I was worried but then I saw the strength behind his eyes. I knew he wouldn't do anything to himself but it was obvious he was suffering deeply. I wanted to be able to help but I knew I wasn't the right person." She paused and looked back at Sam. "You, you're the right person."

Sam closed her eyes in anguish, knowing it wasn't true, but not saying anything. She needed the information too desperately.

"Do you know where he went?" she asked. Please God, let this woman know!

"No, I'm afraid not. I can tell you that he asked where the nearest post office was with the kind of mail boxes you can rent. I think he also knew someone here. He asked to use the phone a couple of times and I could hear him talking. Sounded like he knew the person."

"Did you hear what he said?"

"No. I very carefully don't listen to my guests conversations. They deserve their privacy." Which was all well and good, thought Sam, but not very helpful right now.

"Can you tell me which post office he went to?" The woman nodded and wrote out the information. As Sam thanked her and turned to leave the woman spoke again. "May God bless you. I hope you find your man. He's a good soul and deserves to be happy." Sam smiled, a very sad little smile, and left.

"You were gone a long time. Did you find anything?" Daniel asked, without much hope. They'd been here for days without any leads.

"Yeah, Jack was there."

"What? Really? What did you find out?" Both the two men sat forward, anxious to hear what she had to say.

"She doesn't know where he is but she seems to think he knew someone here. He also asked for a post office that rents boxes. She gave me the address. Sam had barely buckled her seat belt before Daniel had taken off at a screech.

Of course the post office was a dead end. The postal workers wouldn't give out any information and began to look suspiciously at the trio standing there. They used the 'dead uncle' story but the workers looked sceptical and refused to give any information.

"I think we'd better get out of here before they call the cops Sam." Daniel was eyeing the man behind the counter.

"Okay". Turning they left the small building and got in their car which was parked in front.

"What now?" Sam looked at her friends. Poor Teal'c was looking particularly hot with sweat dripping down from under his hat. Not for the first time she wondered why he didn't get that tattoo removed. A plastic surgeon could have done it and left little trace. She supposed it meant something to him however.

"I don't know Sam. I can't think of what to do." As they sat there they watched a man limp up the stairs and go into the post-office. For some reason he caught Sam's eye. She didn't know why. She was sure she had never met him but there was something about himthat poked at her.

"Daniel, I'm just going back into the post office for a minute."

"Are you sure? They weren't too happy with us."

"I know. I'll just go in and buy some stamps. I need to check something out."

"Okay, just be careful."

As she walked into the post office she saw that the man was standing at the counter, speaking with the postal worker. He appeared to be on good terms with the man.

"Yeah, I know. Teenagers can be a pain in the ass sometimes! Don't worry though, they get better. Me and my son, we're best buddies now, but a few years ago I thought we were going to kill each other."

The man laughed. "Yeah, there are days all right! He's a good kid though. Most of the time we get along really well; he's pretty easy going. Just discovered girls! It's been great – he'll take a shower now without being prodded and he changes his clothes about four times a day. Drives the wife crazy. She's sworn she's gonna make him do his own laundry from now on."

"I remember those days! We were always running out of hot water."

"Yeah, but you know, I wouldn't have it any other way. Jack's a great kid, one of the best! He and his Mom and sister are the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Isn't that the truth. I feel sorry for guys who don't have any kids. They don't know what they're missing!"

"Yeah, one of my best friends lost his only son. I don't think he ever recovered. He's Jack's godfather and a great guy. I always felt sorry for him. He deserves to have a whole passel of kids!"

The conversation continued but Sam heard none of it. She was suddenly frozen. This was it! After all this time she'd found what they were looking for – but somehow that didn't mean anything right now. The conversation had cut her to the quick. It made her realize, all the more, what Jack had lost and what they had taken from him.

The man said his goodbyes and began to walk out the door. The postal looked at her, a noncommittal expression on his face. "Can I help you lady?" He still didn't trust her.

"Huh? What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just wondering if I could get some stamps?"

"Sure, how many?"

"Uh – oh ten would be good." He got the stamps out but seemed to take forever. She wanted to run after the man but was worried they really would call the cops.

"Did you want a receipt for that?"

"No, thank you." She grabbed the stamps and turned, trying to hurry without looking obvious. As she got outside she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the man was walking down the street at a slow pace, an obvious limp to his gait.

"Excuse me." She called. The man turned around with a questioning look.

"Can I help you Ma'am?" he asked politely. Suddenly, noticing the way he was standing, as well as the way he answered it hit her. He was military – or at least he had been.

"I'm sorry to bother you but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation in the post office."

"Yes?" He looked surprised but not concerned.

"You see, I'm looking for a dear friend of mine and I'm wondering if you know him. His name's Jack O'Neill. I heard you speak of a friend who had lost his son and I thought it might be him."

The man turned from friendly to suspicious – and dangerous – in the flash of an eye. Yes, this man was military – and he was a friend of Jack's.

"Sorry, don't know anyone by that name." He turned and began to limp away. She reached out a hand and gently grabbed his arm.

"Please, it's very important. It's a matter of life and death." He stopped and looked back at her but then shrugged, a hard look on his face.

"Sorry. You'll have to look elsewhere." He started to walk away again.

"Jack was my commander for eight years. He's saved my life many times over and I'd never do anything to hurt him" (okay, so that was a lie – she'd already harmed him horribly – but she'd never do it again). "There are people out to hurt him and he doesn't know it. I just need to speak to him. Please, if you know where he is can't you tell me?"

The man stopped again and slowly turned around. "What's your name?"

"Sam, Sam Carter."

"_**You're**_ Sam?" he asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes, why?"

"Jack never told me you were a woman. Just said you were the best 2IC he'd ever had. Last time he was here I asked about you – he said he'd lost touch with you since he went to DC."

As much as that hurt at least he hadn't said anything bad to this man about her. She couldn't have born that. Just then he walked up to her and looked at her carefully.

"Wait a second! You're the one in the picture."

"Picture?" she asked, not sure what he meant.

"Yeah, Jack went to pay me for something and this picture fell out. When I picked it up I started teasing him about the hot blond" she could feel herself blush. "He didn't find it funny – just demanded that I give it back to him and he put it away, real careful like. I caught him later staring at it. I figured it was his lady friend but he didn't want to talk about it so I didn't say any more. That was you – you were the woman in Jack's wallet."

She hadn't known that he carried a picture of her. They'd been taking things pretty slowly so that sort of thing hadn't even come up. Of course, she had her own picture of Jack, that she carried with her. The fact that he had done the same gave her a warm feeling, swiftly followed by a deep sadness. She realized more and more, as each day went by, how much she had lost by what she had done. Her hand lifted to the necklace. Jack, where are you my love?

She smiled at the man - she didn't know his name. She was afraid she was going to have to stretch the truth a bit here. She just hoped Jack never found out.

"Yes. Jack and I were" were what? They had never really defined their relationship. "we were seeing where things were going. We served together for a long time so could never do anything about it but once we were out of the same chain of command we decided to get more serious."

"Good for Jack! He's needed someone for a long time. But hey, what's this about. Jack was in a bad way when he was here and now you say there's something going on. I don't get it."

"Look, is there somewhere we can go and talk? The rest of Jack's old team is in the car", she pointed to where Daniel and Teal'c sat in the small rental car. "I'll tell you all about it then." He pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Across the street", he pointed. "there's a coffee shop. Why don't you meet me in ten minutes. I have to let my wife know I'll be a bit late."

When Sam returned to the car she told them about the man she'd been talking with and that he knew Jack. They made their way across the street and waited until he came in and sat at the booth beside Sam.

"I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Bill Kostegan. I'm a teacher at the local middle school." He looked at the two men sitting across from him.

"Hi Bill. My name's Daniel Jackson. I'm an archaeologist and a good friend of Jack's"

"Archaeologist? I thought Sam said you were on Jack's team. I thought you were all with the Air Force?" He began to look suspicious.

"Yes, I was on Jack's team. I'm not with the military but I worked for them – still do. I'm a civilian scientist attached to the base in Cheyenne Mountain where Jack was posted."

"Oh, okay. Although what Jack was doing with a scientist! He always said he couldn't stand them!" He turned to Teal'c. "And you are?"

"I am Murray. I too was on O'Neill's team and consider him my brother. I would die for him."

At first Bill was amused but then realized that this very large, formal sounding man was being serious. He was impressed. Jack certainly knew how to inspire loyalty.

It was Daniel that, as usual, began to speak. "Can you tell us how you knew Jack. Were you with the Air Force too?"

"No – Marines. I wasn't a career officer like Jack. I'd gone into the Marines as a way to get an education. I came from a pretty poor family and couldn't have managed it any other way. Just my luck that the first Gulf War hit just as I was starting out. I got sent over to the Middle East. That's where I met Jack O'Neill. Best God damned thing that ever happened to me."

Each member of SG1 was pleased, but not surprised, at these words. Jack had a whole contingent of loyal fans all over the world.

"What happened?" Sam knew that there was something behind that statement.

"My unit got caught in the middle of a sniper fight in a small village in rural Kuwait. We were pinned down and had called for reinforcements. I guess the nearest unit to us was an AF Special Ops one. I remember when the guys heard that they all groaned – making all these comments about fancy flyboys!" Sam could feel herself grow red – those damned Marines could be so bloody arrogant!

"Anyway, we were waiting when all of a sudden there appeared to be a break in the Iraqi offenses. My Commander told us to go, to move out. We all started to move when a bullet ripped through my knee. I knew it was bad – I could see that half of my leg had been torn away. I was also bleeding pretty badly. I shouted to the Commander for help. I remember him turning around and looking at me and then he kept going. So did the rest of the guys. They all just ran off and left me. I knew I was going to die right then and there." He stopped talking, obviously still affected by the memories.

"Well, as I lay there bleeding to death I suddenly heard a noise. I looked up and saw this big guy, face all blackened, coming towards me. For a minute there I thought it was one of the enemy, but then he grinned and I knew everything was going to be all right."

_"Hey, watcha lyin' around for jarhead?" the cocky young Air Force officer ran over and skidded down beside the wounded man. He quickly took out some field dressings from his pockets and wrapped the leg as securely as he could. It was then that the soldier realized that the enemy had returned. They were again pinned down._

_"You'd better leave me. They're coming", the young marine gasped._

_"Hell no! I don't leave anyone behind. We'll just have to keep 'em away."_

_"How?"_

_"Let's see? Know any country music? That should keep them away."_

_"I like country music!"_

_"You do? Wow. Okay then, how about any bad jokes? The enemy hates bad jokes. Here's one, "knock, knock'." The young soldier looked at him as if he were crazy. "Come on, 'knock knock'"_

_"Who's there?" the marine was fading fast but figured it was easier to go along with this crazy flyboy._

_"Armageddon."_

_"Armageddon who?"_

_"Armageddon outa here!" The Air Force officer began to shoot at the enemy. The Marine could tell they were getting closer. He figured they didn't have much time. He feebly tried to grasp the officer's arm._

_"Please", he gasped, "can you tell my parents I love them and I'm sorry."_

_"Sorry? Whatcha do?" The officer continued to shoot off rounds, watching carefully as the enemy approached._

_"Died"_

_The officer looked over quickly and frowned. "Sorry kid. I'm not takin' that message back because it would be a lie. We're gettin' out of here pretty soon. Just hold on."_

_A couple of minutes later a shot hit the Air Force officer in the shoulder. He grunted but kept on shooting. Time seemed to stand still. The young marine kept expecting the enemy to overrun their position any minute. He continued to hear his protector talk as if they were sitting in a bar over a couple of drinks. He wondered if the man was insane. He didn't seem to realize the danger they were in._

_It can't have been long – maybe no more than ten minutes – although it seemed a lifetime, when the sound of new gunshots filled the air. The man over him turned and grinned. "See what did I tell ya! The Air Force is here to save the day." Another few minutes and the enemy was routed. A handful of soldiers came to their hidey hole._

_"Hey Jack, takin' a break are you?"_

_"Yeah Frank. Just thought I'd rest for a while. Had to save me a Jarhead."_

_"Ah, now why'd you go and do that? We got too many of them already."_

_"I know, I know. But they're cute when they're young!" Just then the medics ran up and began to work on the marine's leg. He glanced over to the side, expecting to see his savior sitting there, grinning. But, when he looked, he saw the man slowly topple over. 'Frank' caught him as he fell, shouting for the medics._

"I woke up in hospital with half my leg gone. I wanted to die when I found out but, you know what they did?" The three people at the table didn't know, but could all guess. "Yeah, they put Jack in the bed next to me. We spent the next three weeks beside each other. It seems the bullet had torn him up pretty bad and he'd lost a lot of blood. I had no idea. He'd acted as if it was nothing more than a stubbed toe."

"Nah, if it'd been a stubbed toe he would have been screaming and bitching and complaining. Believe me, I've heard him."

Bill grinned. He'd gotten to know Jack pretty well over the years. It was clear that this Daniel, knew him well too.

"Well, he kept me sane in that hospital. I was sent home at the end to try and learn to live without a leg. I was in a pretty deep depression for a long time. It was Jack who helped me out of it. After he'd gotten back from Iraq he came and visited me. Told me to get off my ass and get moving. He was in pretty bad shape himself but refused to let it get to him. He bullied me until I got my life back in order. I moved down here because I thought it would be easier to live in a place without snow and ice. I met my wife and we've been here ever since. Jack is godfather to my oldest. I owe him my life and I'll do anything for him. What I won't do is betray him!"

The members of SG1 all felt like squirming but now was not the time to let on what they'd done. They needed to get information from this man.

So, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c gave him an 'edited' version of events – leaving out any reference to aliens or genetic testing. They made it sound like a white slave ring. They told him that Jack had taken part in a sting operation on behalf of the government and one of our allies and now his life was in danger. The 'bad guys' were out looking for him."

"Okay, sounds like something Jack would get himself involved in. What I don't get is why he disappeared. When he came here he looked like his best friend had died and he didn't want to be found. What does that have to do with the sting operation?"

Sam looked at Daniel, wondering how they'd explain this one. "Uh, the operation was pretty dangerous and he had to stay undercover for a long time. The bad guys duped him into thinking that some of the people he considered friends had betrayed him. He was pretty depressed and we figured he needed some time to be alone. We figured we'd let him be, not realizing the danger. It was only when we got word that someone was looking for him that we realized we needed to find him. By that time he'd thoroughly disappeared."

"Is it usual for your officers to just run off like that? I would think the Air Force wouldn't like that."

"No, not usually, but he's retired so I guess they figure he can do what he wants."

"Retired? I had no idea. He didn't say a thing!"

"So Bill, what can you tell us? We really need to find him."

"I know and I wish I could help you." As they looked frustrated he continued. "The only reason I'm even talking to you is I recognized you from Jack's wallet and I remember all the great things he'd tell me about his team. He considered you family so I know I can trust you. I want to help, I really do. But I don't know if any of this will help. He just asked me to collect mail and send the occasional note to someone called George Hammond in Washington. He calls me every once in a while but doesn't tell me anything other than he's okay and to ask me to do some banking for him. Everything goes through down here and he's given me power of attorney to handle his affairs. We did some investments together after the war and we've done pretty well so he trusts me to handle the money."

It occurred to Sam that there were a lot of things about Jack she hadn't known. It bothered her a bit but she also knew that this was the private part of Jack that she would probably have spent a life time uncovering if she hadn't screwed up. She was sure he would slowly have revealed these kind of things to her.

"So, you have no idea?"

"Not really. I can give him a warning the next time he calls but that probably won't be for another few weeks. He just called the other day."

"Oh?"

"Yeah – he was just checking on things. Told me to send another note to Hammond. He left a bunch." Suddenly he got a strange look in his eyes. "Wait, there was one thing he said." They looked expectantly at him. "He said something about silver. What was it?" There was a long pause as he thought. "I remember! He asked if Amy – that's my wife – likes silver. I said yeah, she loved it. That's when he said he'd send a piece of jewelry for her because he was in the middle of the 'silver capital of the US'. I have no idea where that is but it might help."

"And how long ago did you say this was?"

"Oh, about five days ago."

"Thanks Bill. You've been incredibly helpful." They paid their bill and shook hands with the former marine, promising to let him know when they'd finally found Jack.

"Another person saved compliments of Jack O'Neill!" Daniel spoke somberly. They couldn't help but think of the man they were searching for. How could anybody so good have had so many tragedies in his life?

"So, where are we headed now Sam?"

"To find the silver capital of the United States."


	5. Snips and Snails and Healing

They called him a cab and took him down to the front entrance in a wheelchair, something he'd always hated. He felt it made him look weak and not in control. He laughed ironically to himself; the fact was he _was_ weak and not in control. He hadn't been in control since his team had turned their backs on him.

Oh, he'd desperately tried to maintain that control he was so used to. He'd rigidly forced his mind and heart to ignore, deny and hide – but all it had done was send him running – not a sign of control.

As they helped him maneuver into the vehicle, accompanied by numerous curses and groans, he had the feeling that things were about to change. How, he wasn't sure – he just knew that the running had come to a quick and sudden end. What happened next was anyone's guess.

"There you go Neil." Nurse Johannson handed him his small bag of possessions which he guessed the police had picked up after his accident. It was rather a pathetic collection of things – all that he thought important in his life. "You take it easy now and don't forget to keep your appointment with Dr. Fuller. He'll want to keep an eye on that leg. If you start feeling sick or notice anything unusual you come back in, okay?"

Just like he had so many times with Janet or Dr. Brightman or his new doc in DC he nodded, agreeing to everything. Only these people didn't know that that meant nothing. Jack would have to be on death's door to come back – in fact, he didn't even know if that would drag him in.

With a smile the nurse closed the car door and watched as the cab drove away. She couldn't figure out this man at all. There was something very wrong there, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Oh well, she said to herself as she turned and walked back into the hospital, my job is to look after his body. He needs someone else to help with the spirit. Her last thought, before turning her attention to her other patients, was that if anyone could do it it would be Molly Simkiew.

Jack looked at the scenery out of the window of the cab, impressed in spite of himself. Penticton was a pretty town, nestled in the midst of the Rockies. Some of the nurses had told him it was quite a tourist destination, with beautiful lakes and beaches. It had a clean, unspoiled look about it and lacked the frantic activity of so many of the places he'd resided.

Having lived in Colorado for years he was used to the mountains but admitted that it was much wilder here, much more untamed. For some reason, that suited his mood.

One of the things that had really surprised him was how warm it got here. Like so many Americans he always thought of Canada as cold, however it turned out that this mountain valley actually got really hot in the summers and was pretty temerate in the winters. That's why so many flocked to the pristine beaches and came with their children year after year. It also turned out that it was a huge wine growing region with award winning wines produced here. In many ways it was similar to northern California but with the backdrop of the mountains.

Right then and there he decided that if things went well he might even consider renting a place, once he was able to get around on his own, and stay a while.

It didn't take long for the taxi to arrive at his destination. It pulled up outside a small white wooden house. The house had a tiny porch with flowers hanging in pots from the front. It was a humble little place but had a charm of its own and was well looked after.

The cab driver helped him out and deposited his things on the front step. He watched as Jack laboriously hobbled on his crutches to the front door. O'Neill hated to admit it but knew he wouldn't have been able to look after himself. The short journey to the door just about killed him!

He knocked and heard the sound of footsteps walking slowly to the door. It opened and there stood the tiniest woman he thought he'd ever seen. For a moment he'd wondered if a child had answered the door but then took a look at the well-lined face and gray hair. Nope, this was a woman with many years behind her.

"You must be Neil. Come in, come in. Don't stand there – you might take root and I don't need a six foot tall beanstalk on my front porch."

"Six two" Jack muttered, hobbling in to the house.

"Oh, six two, eh? Well, we musn't forget those two inches. I know how important they are to a man! It's all about the inches!" She was laughing at him, he realized, although she hadn't cracked a smile. For some reason the ghost of Janet just walked in front of him. He gave a shiver and looked down at his hostess (way down, way, way down). "Come on then, I'll show you to your room. Susanna told me you need to rest as much as possible. Also told me to be wary of you – that you're a sneaky, stubborn one. Is that true?" She turned and looked Jack in the eye – or chest rather – she really couldn't reach his eyes!

"Uh …" Now what does a person say to that! "Probably", he figured he might as well tell her the truth.

"Yeah, I can see that. Well, I'm used to sneaky boys so don't be getting up to any tricks or I'll take the spoon to ya." Jack actually cracked a grin at that. The thought of this tiny little woman beating him with the back of a wooden spoon tickled him. In surprise he realized that was the first time he'd so much as smiled from amusement in a long, long time.

"Here's your room. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. I've cleared some space in the medicine cabinet where you can keep your shaving gear and such. For the first few days you're to stay in bed, except to use the bathroom. I'll bring you your meals. Once you're on your feet" she looked down "or I should say 'foot', you can join Christopher and me for supper. Let me know if there's anything you don't like – not that that'll mean much to me – you'll eat what you're provided! I don't hold with picky eaters! Kids have to learn to eat what they're given!"

That was the second smile she'd coaxed from him. The thought of being called a kid and told to 'finish your vegetables' was very amusing. It had been many years since anyone had tried to do that. No, on second thought there was Daniel. He'd actually acted like a bit of a Mom on more than one occasion. The thought gave him a bit of a jolt but he refused to let it bother him right now.

"Well, go on. Whatya waiting for? You plan on having me carry you over the threshold?"

"Uh, no Ma'am", he answered. "I was just thinking this is very nice." And the fact was, he was telling the truth. The room was plain but it was bright and cheerful. Through the open window he could see the beautiful view of the lake with the mountains behind it. He could also smell the fragrant autumn air coming in through the open window. Yes, this was more than nice, it was … soothing. He could feel a terrible weight lifting from his shoulders. He hobbled into the room and sat on the bed. Molly came over.

"My, you're a polite one aren't you?" her voice sounded softer. "Your mama must have taught you well." Jack briefly thought of his mother who had been gone for many years. For the first time in a long time he missed her. He snorted to himself – yeah, this place must really be affecting him if he had a sudden wish for his Mom to be here.

"Come on, let me help you." He looked at her in doubt. He really didn't see how someone so … little …. could help him. He was a big man, even if he was on the wrong side of skinny. Obviously she was tougher than she looked. She reached down and lifted his legs, cast and all and swung them on the bed. It forced him to move his upper body around until he was laying flat. She then reached down and undid he shoe and took it off.

"There, that's better. You just rest and in a little while I'll bring you something to eat and drink." She reached down and gently stroked his forehead, moving the hair from his eyes. "You just don't worry about anything my dear. Molly is here and I'm gonna look after you."

Jack looked up at the wizened face above him and sighed. For the first time in a long while he felt safe. It was funny really. With all the dangers that he'd faced in the universe, a four foot something little old lady made him feel safe. As his eyes drifted shut he thought again of Janet. He was sure her spirit was here somewhere.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Did you find anything?" Daniel asked, pacing around the small room. He, Teal'c and Sam had all crowded into the guy's hotel room and Sam was looking it up on the Internet. He was pretty sure the 'silver capital' of the US must be in either Nevada or Arizona.

"Yeah, it says here "Wallace, Idaho".

"Idaho? You've got to be kidding. You're sure it's not in the southwest somewhere?"

"No – it clearly says that Wallace is the silver capital. Actually, it says 'of the world'. And it's not surprising Daniel – it is mountainous up there."

"Okay, but why in hell would Jack go to a place like that. Do you think he knows anyone there?"

"Maybe, or maybe he's not going anywhere in particular."

"What? You mean he's just aimlessly driving around America?"

"Yes. He and I talked about it once. We said we'd like to take our bikes and see the country. We thought it would be nice to see what we've spent all these years protecting." Sam was a little embarrassed even talking about this. Oh, she knew her friends had been aware that she and Jack were 'exploring' things, but no one had actually come out and said anything. This was the first time she'd alluded to the fact that she and Jack had discussed having a life together.

"Okay. I guess I can see Jack doing something like that. So, how big is this 'Wallace'?"

"Not very big at all. It looks like the population is under 1000. If this is where he is – or was – it shouldn't be too hard to find someone who's seen him."

"Yeah – unless we find more people who are planning to protect him. For a big, fierce guy he has more protectors than a three year old."

It was true. Jack had a way of either really pissing people off or making them fall for him hard. He had more friends – and probably more enemies – than anyone she knew. She guessed that was the mark of a truly good man.

"So, I guess we'd better get going." They'd contact Thor and have him beam them someplace close where they could rent a car. It was very handy having him around.

"I think someone should go and inform General Hammond as to what is happening. We may also determine what is being done at the highest levels. I will be happy to speak with him unless you wish me to accompany you to Wallace, Idaho?"

"I think that would be a great idea Teal'c. Why don't you go and see him. We'll keep in touch and you can come up if we need you. Hopefully we'll find him and tell him of the danger."

"If you find him I will come. I need to speak with O'Neill as well." Sam nodded, knowing that Teal'c was as anguished by this as the rest of them. He just held it in more.

"Alright. Let's give Thor a dingle and go see this 'silver capital' of the world." Thor was clearly monitoring their communications because he almost instantly appeared. When he understood what they wanted he returned to his ship. Within minutes they had been beamed down in a back alley in Coeur d'Alene, the nearest big town. They checked for car rental places and were soon driving to where they hoped to find Jack.

It didn't take them long to find the little diner and the blonde. She waxed lyrical about the 'tall, handsome stranger'.

"Yeah, we connected right off", she batted her false eyelashes. "If he hadn't been in such a hurry I'm sure we would have gotten to know each other _much_ better." Daniel looked quickly over at Sam, wondering how she was taking this. He was surprised to see a small grin on her face. He'd have to ask her about that later.

"We're good fr-"

"Actually, I'm his girlfriend", Sam interrupted. Daniel stood, mouth hanging open. What was this?

He glanced at the blonde and could see she really didn't look happy. Oh dear – this must be a woman thing. Like myriads of men throughout history he didn't say a word. He knew better than get between two women interested in the same man.

"Oh really hon'? " the waitress did a quick backtrack. "Uh, he just came in a couple of time for a cup of coffee. He didn't say much, just sat and stared off into space. He was polite but didn't want to talk."

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"No. He had a motorcycle and he was here for a couple of days. I assume he was staying in a motel somewhere nearby."

"Do you know of any that are close?"

"Yes, the Daisy Inn is just down the street. It's not very good. There are some better ones a little farther out, nearer the highway."

"Okay Sam", Daniel asked as they walked away from the diner. "What was that all about?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, you know – that bit about being Jack's girlfriend. I've never heard you say that before."

There was a slight pause and he glanced hurriedly at Sam, wondering if he'd over stepped his place. He was surprised to see she had a small smile on her face.

"When that woman was speaking I could just picture Jack with his 'deer in the headlights' look. He never could handle predatory women. I remember seeing him when we were all out at a bar one night; some overdressed woman came on to him. He looked more frightened than I ever saw him when confronted by a Goa'uld. For some strange reason I kind of felt like I was protecting him right then. I know it's silly, he's not even here, but he doesn't need someone like that trying to grab him."

"No, he needs someone like you." That instantly took the smile of her face. He was sorry, but at the same time it had been the elephant in the room for a long time. "I'm sorry Sam. I know this must be incredibly painful for you because of what the two of you had."

Sam stopped and turned to her friend. "It was going so well Daniel. We were getting closer, getting over the discomfort of having a new kind of relationship. We'd even made arrangements to go away together. I was happier than I had been – I think than I'd ever been. That's what makes this all so horrible. I didn't just betray Jack – I betrayed what we had together. I threw away something incredibly precious and I know I'll never find it again."

Daniel could have offered platitudes, could have assured her that 'everything would be alright', but the fact was, he believed what she was saying. He knew that her relationship with Jack was something to be found only once in a lifetime. Feeling incredibly sad he walked over and put his arms around her, offering her the only comfort he could.

By the time they made it to the Daisy Inn it was getting late. The person on duty didn't recognize Jack but admitted he hadn't been working the past week.

"Patty's in tomorrow morning. She was working last week so maybe she'll know if he was here. Do you want a room?" Although it was not a particularly pleasant motel, both Daniel and Sam were too tired to care. They took a room – opting to share since neither felt like spending a night alone. They'd shared tents for years so it was no big deal.

The next morning they spoke to Patty when she came on at 10:00 a.m. She took one look at the picture and nodded.

"Oh yeah – he was here. Stayed two nights and then left. He was pretty sick the second day – wouldn't let the cleaning staff in."

"Sick? What was wrong with him?"

"Hey, how am I supposed to know? He looked like hell when he got here but he was standing up. He just paid for his room and didn't cause trouble. He left on his bike so I guess he was okay. Maybe he had food poisoning or something. Wouldn't have been hard if he ate at Moe's Diner." The young woman smirked.

"Do you have any idea where he went?"

"Not really although he asked about highways out of here. Seemed to want to go north."

"What's up that way?"

"Nothing much – just more of Idaho – oh, and Canada of course." That seemed to be all the information the young woman was able to give them.

As they headed back to their room both of them were concerned by what she had said. They hoped that Jack was okay and it was just something temporary.

"So", Daniel sat on the bed. "What do you think?"

"I guess we head north. I don't see any other choice. Did you bring your passport?"

"No, but I can ask Thor to send me back to my place to get it. Do you think he's gone to Canada?"

"It's a possibility. We could ask General Hammond to check with the Canadian Government to see if he's crossed over."

"Hmmm. I don't know Sam. If there is someone at the top level who's involved this may deliver Jack right to the bad guys."

"Okay. So we just go to Canada and hope we find him? It's an awfully big country Daniel."

"Yeah – but we'll find him - I feel it!"

"I hope you're right."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He'd had another headache shortly after arriving at Molly's. She'd brought him some lunch be he hadn't been able to tolerate anything. Molly had come back a while later with a cold cloth which she gently wiped on his forehead.

"It's okay Neil. Just you rest." The pain didn't diminish but somehow it was easier to bear.

By the next morning Jack felt much better. He was able to eat a good breakfast; the first in a long time. It probably had more to do with the good home cooking than anything. He gently snoozed all morning but by lunch time found himself wide awake – and bored.

Okay, he thought, this was bad. He knew himself too well. There was nothing worse for him than boredom. With nothing to distract himself he'd begin to brood and then depression would hit. He had to figure out something to do. Maybe Molly had some books or even a small TV he could have in his room.

He tried calling her but there was no answer. He didn't want to shout too loud – it seemed kind of rude. He was just debating whether to try and make it out to the other room went he felt a presence. He stopped but then resumed his movements – didn't want to let whoever it was know he was aware that someone was there.

He felt the eyes on him and started to feel a little concerned. Who in the world could it be? He was confident Molly wouldn't sneak up on him like that but then –"

A small body suddenly scooted in the room and hid behind the door. He could feel his eyebrows rise to his hairline. Who was - Oh yeah, the grandson. He'd forgotten all about him.

"What –"

"Shhh!" the kid looked scared. "She'll hear." Jack could only suppose the kid was talking about his grandmother. He must be hiding from her for some reason. After a few minutes of silence it appeared that the boy was confident his grandmother wasn't coming to look for him. He slowly walked over to Jack.

He was a cute kid – brown hair, big brown eyes. He kind of reminded him of Charlie at this age.

"What's your name?"

The boy didn't look like he was going to answer but then finally got out a sullen "Christopher".

"Well hello Christopher. My name's Jack." He put his hand out but the little guy ignored it.

"Grandma says your name is Neal."

"Well I actually prefer Jack. It's what my friends call me."

"Why?"

"Ah, because that's what my friends called me in school. I thought it was a cool name back then and it stuck." That was the truth – he'd gone by Jonothan or 'Jon' when he was younger. It was as a teen that he'd decided to go by the much tougher sounding 'Jack'.

"Oh" The Boy continued to look at him, a sullen expression on his face.

"So, whatya like to do?" The boy was how old? He thought he remembered the nurse saying he was around seven. He no longer had any idea of what was popular for seven year olds. When Charlie was young he knew all the latest shows and toys.

The boy shrugged. This was going to be a lot of fun!

"My little boy used to like to play ninja games. Do you still pay that?" He tried to think what other things a young boy would like.

He shrugged again.

"Can't talk anymore huh? Oh well, I guess I'll just go back to sleep then. Nice meeting you." The little boy didn't move as Jack lay back and closed his eyes.

"Space stuff"

"What?" Jack opened his eyes and looked at the boy – Christopher – who had moved closer to his bed.

"Space stuff. I like space stuff. I want to go to Mars when I grow up."

"Cool. I like the stars too. I have a telescope and like to look at them." For the first time the little boys face showed some emotion.

"Did you bring it with you?" he asked, clearly intrigued by the possibility of a telescope.

"No, I left it back home. I couldn't carry it on my motorcycle."

"Grandma said you crashed. She said you were a dang young fool but old enough to know better."

Well, out of the mouths of babes!

"Yeah, I crashed. But I'm gonna be okay."

"Grandma will make you stay in bed and give you yucky medicine. She doesn't let you watch TV when you're sick either."

"No? That's too bad. I like to watch TV when I'm sick."

'Yeah, me too. My Mommy used to let me watch cartoons in her bedroom when I was home sick. She'd give me a special blanket and lots of pillows. Sometimes she'd even come and sit beside me. She said it was our special time and that she'd help make me better."

Oh God. He didn't need this. He could feel the rush of emotion upon listening to the boy. This is what he'd been avoiding, what he'd known was going to happen. He looked at Christopher and saw him desperately trying not to cry, not to let the emotions out. He was attempting to be 'strong'. Jack suddenly saw himself in the little boy. Sighing, he knew he'd lost before he'd even had a chance. He couldn't _not_ try and help.

"Hey" he said softly. "It's okay to cry. I know you miss your Mom." Two dark little eyes peered back at him suspiciously. He'd probably heard these kind of things from lots of adults. It didn't mean much to a young child who'd lost his parents. With a sigh he knew that this situation called for courage – much more courage than he'd ever had to demonstrate in battle.

"I lost my little boy. He was just a bit older than you. We used to cuddle too when he was sick and we'd watch cartoons together. I miss him all the time."

The eyes grew bigger, but still shone with unshed tears. "Did you cry?"

A pause and then "Yes, I cried when I lost him. I still cry sometimes."

"Really?", a soft little voice, filled with some kind of hope – as if he could begin to believe he wasn't bad – he wasn't weak – that crying really was okay.

"Really." Jack could see the bottom lip begin to quiver. Next came the tears, silently rolling down soft, innocent cheeks; finally a sob escaped the small child. But he still stood, alone and lost – his anchor, his safety, his world had ended and he didn't know what to do. With a small sob of his own Jack opened his arms and Christopher ran forward and was clutched to the man's chest. Two lost souls had come together and both of their hearts began to heal.

There was a long way to go for both of them, but now they weren't alone. Jack knew he'd just received a blessing in the form of one small boy. He knew that somehow this small innocent boy could be his salvation.

Neither of them saw the tiny figure of the small old woman looking in the room. With a smile she turned and walked away. God had seen fit to bring this man into their lives. Whatever had happened to him – and she knew it was something bad – she believed that this was meant to be.


	6. The Project

_**This chapter is a short interlude without much adventure or angst. I figured Jack and everyone needed a bit of a break so this is a bit 'fluffier'. Don't worry though – there's definitely more angst coming – along with some adventure and, oh dear, say it's not so - whump!**_

He heard a small shuffling sound at his door. Hiding a smile he peaked out from under his eyelids and, sure enough, there was Christopher, standing just outside the door. By the way he was standing he had clearly been told by his grandmother 'not to wake up Mr. Connor'.

Jack had spent the day alternately sleeping and looking out the window. He was still so tired and the headaches were coming more and more. He'd managed to eat some lunch but soon afterward the pain had come back in a big way and he decided to try and sleep it off. Christopher was off at school during the day so, other than the odd sound made by Molly moving around, things were pretty quiet.

He'd heard Christopher come home a while ago but the pain had still been bad so he'd quickly drifted off again. Now, however, he was clearly wanted! The headache was still there, an almost constant presence behind his eyes, but it was relatively bearable and he didn't want to disappoint the boy.

Closing his eyes again he spoke, "gonna stand there all day?" The little boy started and turned around swiftly, making sure his grandma hadn't caught him.

"It's okay Chris. You can come in. I've been sleeping all day and am ready for some company." The little boy slowly made his way over to see this big man who had offered such comfort and safety. He was a little unsure today whether or not it was okay to approach him. He was afraid he would be rejected, but he craved the love and attention.

As he drew closer Jack could see that the boy, who reminded him so much of his own son, had something clutched in his hands.

"Whatchya got there?", he asked. Christopher held it out silently and Jack saw that it was a children's book on astronomy. "Hey, cool. Can I see that?" The boy went to hand it to him but Jack shook his head and patted the bed beside him, moving over a bit to give him some room. "Hop up. We'll look at it together."

That's all the child needed. With a quick grin he bounded up on the bed. The fact that it caused pain to shoot through Jack's skull would be something he would never let on in a million years. "That's it Chris. Here, grab a pillow and let's check this out."

For the next half hour the man and the young boy looked at pictures of stars and constellations. Jack told the boy stories about where the names came from and told him, in simple terms, some of the science behind what they were looking at. He laughed to himself, thinking that his science twins would be surprised at how much he actually knew about the subject.

It took him a long time before he realized what he'd been thinking. He'd referred to them as 'his' even though they were, in fact, no longer his friends. With a deep sigh he realized the headache was coming back in force. He didn't say anything, not wanting to disappoint Christopher who was clearly loving the interaction.

"- and my teacher says we can pick anything we want." Jack realized that the boy had been speaking for a while and he'd totally missed what he was saying. Trying to refocus he quickly caught the gist of the conversation.

"So, you have to do a project for school?"

"Yeah – I was wondering ….?"

"Wondering what Chris?"

The little boy looked at him with sad brown eyes. "My daddy used to help me with projects and all the other kids have their parents to help. I was just wondering if …." His voice faded out, fearful of the reaction of his new big friend.

"You wondered if I would help you?" Chris nodded. "Why, I'd be honored! I used to help my son with projects and they were a lot of fun. What would you like to do?" He was actually looking forward to this, although it brought a sense of sadness when he remembered the fun he and Charlie used to have doing 'projects'. Sara used to have a fit because they would leave a path of destruction in their wake.

"Ah, I thought we could do something on the stars or planets or something." Chris looked at him tentatively, hoping that his idea wouldn't get laughed at.

"What a great idea! We could make a solar system or a planet. All we'd need would be some Styrofoam balls and paper mache and some paint. Do you think your grandma would get that stuff for us?"

Chris looked skeptical, unsure if that was the kind of thing grandmas knew anything about. "I could ask."

"Why don't you let me? I can explain what it is we need."

"Jack?"

"Yeah Chris." He smiled at the boy.

"Could we add a spaceship?"

"Sure, I think that would be a great idea. We can design something together – or would you like to model it after the space shuttle?" They'd seen some pictures of it in the book.

"I'd like to make our own. I want it to be an alien spaceship – and maybe we could make an alien too?"

Jack laughed, remembering his own fascination with 'aliens' when he was young. He'd grown up in the era of 'B' space movies and could remember the funny aliens that Hollywood came up with. Although now that he thought about it sometimes they'd been pretty damn close to the truth.

"Sure, why not. It's our project right? If we want aliens and spaceships then we'll just make some."

"My teacher says there are no such things as aliens. That they're just a, a fignut of our imagination."

"Nah, I think she's wrong – I don't think they're a 'fignut' at all." He leaned over to the young boy leaning up against him and whispered, "I believe in aliens!"

"You do?" Chris's eyes got big and he moved from liking Jack to hero worship in one second flat.

"Absolutely. What kind of alien would you like to make?"

"Well, it has to be mean and scary. All aliens are scary and they like to eat people!"

Jack was getting a huge kick out of this. He wondered what the Tokra or Nox would think of this. Then of course there were the Asgard – he wouldn't describe them as mean and scary. He laughed when he thought of Thor being evil and sitting down to a meal of 'roast humans' with a side of fava beans!

"They like to eat people do they? So, no vegetarian aliens?"

"No – they only eat meat – raw people meat!" The boy was getting into this in a big way. Ah, Jack remembered the blood-thirstiness of little boys.

"So, what else can you tell me about these aliens?"

"Well, they have eyes that glow." Jack started – wow, he got that right! "And they plan to capture earth people and take over the world. They pretend to be our friends but when we're not looking they turn us into zombies."

"When do they eat us?" Jack couldn't help but ask. He hadn't enjoyed anything so much in a long time.

"Uh, after they take us to their spaceship and then to their planet."

"I see. And where is their planet and what's it called?"

"It's a thousand hundred million zillion miles away and it's called…" Chris stopped and thought a moment, "it's called "Bikinia Bottomia". Chris was clearly a fan of Sponge Bob, he thought. The fact that he recognized that was something he'd never admit to even under torture! So what – it was almost an adult cartoon!

"Hmm, sounds like a scary planet. What are the aliens from there called?"

"Trivets"

"Trivets?" Jack wondered where that came from but suddenly realized Chris must have seen or heard of the movie 'Day of the _Triffids'_. Oh well, Trivets was as good a name as any.

"So, we're going to make an alien ship that flies from Bikinia Bottomia carrying a bunch of evil Trivets who are going to capture and eat humans. Is that right?"

Chris looked over to his idol to make sure that was okay. When Jack looked back at him with a serious, but encouraging look, he nodded.

"Good! Excellent in fact. So, we'll have to draw our space ship and aliens first and then figure out how to make them. Will we make their planet too?"

"Mmm hmmm and earth too?" Chris asked hopefully.

"Wow, that's going to be a lot of work but I think we can manage that. We'd better get going."

So, every day after school Chris would run into Jack's room and the two of them would plan their alien space project. Jack couldn't help it – he'd got Chris to model the aliens after Thor, although the boy added big fangs (which Chris showed dripping with blood!) and claws on their hands and feet.

"Boy, those are some scary looking aliens! Do you think they have names like we do?" Chris nodded enthusiastically and they spent the next 20 minutes making up names for their gaggle of gruesome aliens!

Chris named some of his after kids he didn't like. There was a Kyle and Jarod and a female alien by the name of Emily. Jack named his Maybourne and Simmons. He had thought about naming one of them after a Goa'uld but figured that might be a bit of a security breach. Not that a class of grade two kids would give too much away, but you could never be too sure. So unfortunately, they didn't have an Anubis or Hathor!

By the end of the week Jack figured it was time to start moving around. His butt was going to be glued to the bed if he didn't get up. He also knew he would grow weaker if he didn't force himself out of bed. So, even with Molly 'tut tutting' him he started to hobble around the little house, generally getting in her way!

She would never have admitted it of course, but she enjoyed having the company. Jack was kind and funny and, although he could be pig-headed, was a genuinely caring man. She was thrilled to see the affection he had for Christopher but worried what would happen when it was time for him to leave.

She'd given him a hard time over his name. The hospital staff had called him Neal for days and he'd never corrected them. When her grandson had run into the kitchen telling her that his 'real name' was Jack she'd suffered a moment of panic, thinking that maybe she was harboring a criminal. When she'd hit him up with it he'd gotten such an endearing, guilty look on his face that she had to forgive him.

"I was just feeling too groggy in the hospital when the nurse first called me that and after a time I felt ridiculous correcting her. I figured it didn't matter as I wouldn't see them again."

"Well, that's alright, as long as you're not hiding anything else!" Oh boy, thought Jack, the guilt just kicked up a notch! He wasn't worried about giving Molly his real name but figured she'd think he had something to hide so decided to just keep the 'Connor' for now.

He wandered into the kitchen where she was preparing supper, needing to talk to her about the supplies for Chris's project. He was worried because it had become more and more elaborate and he knew everything was going to come to a substantial amount of money. He also knew, from what the nurse had said, that Molly didn't have a lot of resources. How to do this without causing offense?

"Uh Molly." He moved carefully over to the little table, still hobbling on his crutches.

"What is it young man? Did you get enough rest today? I think you're pushing yourself too hard. You need to heal before you go gallivanting around!"

Jack grinned. For some reason Molly's fussing didn't bother him nearly as much as when the nurses or doctors did it. "I'm fine Molly. I spend most of my day in bed sleeping. If I don't move around you'll end up with that 6'2" beanstalk planted in your guest room."

She actually, truly 'harumphed' although Jack could hear the affection and humor in it. It hadn't taken him any time at all to realize that Molly was quickly becoming one of those in Jack's book of 'favorite' people.

"Molly, I wanted to ask a favor." She stopped what she was doing and looked at him.

"What is it dear?" She was concerned as Jack didn't like to ask for anything, even a glass of water.

"Well, I'm starting to feel much better due to your tender loving care."

"Oh you flatterer you – go on with you!"

He grinned again. "Well, it's true. Your cooking alone could bring someone back from the dead. I'm going to have to watch the waistline."

"You could do with some fattening up! You're too skinny."

"Well, you're doing it! Listen, I need something to keep myself busy so that I don't start getting bored. Believe me Molly, you don't want to see me when I'm bored!"

Looking at the man at the table in front of her Molly had no trouble believing that to be true. Now that he was getting better she could tell that Jack was full of nervous energy. She'd just bet that he'd given his parents a run for their money.

"So, what I was wondering, is whether I could get you to pick up some things for me? I'd like to work on some projects when I'm here. I like to putter around with my hands. I'll give you a list and some money if you wouldn't mind. You could have the stuff delivered here." He looked at her, a puppy-dog expression on his face.

"Well of course Jack. What a good idea. Why don't you make your list and I'll ask Fred to pick it up the next time he heads into town. He'll probably have a better idea of what you need since he's a handyman himself." Fred was Molly's neighbor and would often help her out when she needed something.

This was great! He knew that if she suspected it was for Chris she'd either insist on paying or nix the idea. This way she didn't even have to see the list and wonder what Jack was planning to do with kids scissors, paints and glue!

So, that Saturday saw the two 'boys' in the basement concocting all sorts of things for their spaceship and aliens. It had taken some maneuvering on Jack's part to get down the stairs but he'd finally just handed Chris his crutches and had sat down and proceeded to scoot down on his butt. Chris had laughed, thinking it was hysterical to see a grown man slide down on the stairs like he and his friends did.

As Jack sat at the small table he looked over at Chris and felt a warmth in his soul he hadn't felt in many, many months. In many ways he felt like he'd come home. There was still a terrible, painful hole in his heart where his three closest friends used to reside. He knew it would always be there, but for the first time, thought that maybe there was something left for him in this world.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Okay Sam, we're in Canada. Which way do we go?" They'd just crossed the border from northern Idaho and now had the whole expanse of one of the biggest countries in the world in which to find their friend. The task seemed impossible but they knew they had to try. In fact, they wouldn't give up until they found him.

"I don't know Daniel. Let's think about it logically." They were sitting in a little coffee shop just on the Canadian side of the border.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Daniel replied.

"Why not?" Sam looked at her friend curiously. Logic was always good.

"Because Jack is the least logical person I know – at least as far as he himself is concerned. Somehow I don't expect he used logic to figure out where to go.

Daniel was right. But what did that leave them? They had to figure out which way to head. Sam thought for a minute and then grinned.

"We'll use 'O'Neill logic'."

"O'Neill logic? Is there such a thing?"

"Of course there is Daniel. You're wrong when you say Jack doesn't use logic - he does and he's very good at it. It's just that he's usually coming from a totally different place than the rest of the world. That's the root of his brilliance. So, we use 'O'Neill logic."

"Uh, okay. But you'll have to do that because I don't have a clue what you mean."

"No, look Daniel, all I'm saying is let's think like Jack. We've known him for enough years to figure him out. Then, we go from there."

"Okay but I still say you get to start."

"Fine! Let's try and figure out why he came to Canada."

"Maybe he knows someone here."

"That's possible although somehow I don't think his journey was about hooking up with old friends."

"What about Bill? He was an old friend."

"Yeah, but he needed him to help out with banking and business stuff, as well as sending those notes to Hammond. I get the feeling that he didn't want to see people at all. You know what he's like when he's hurt – he tends to want to go off on his own."

That was true, Daniel realized. He also knew that Jack was more hurt than he'd been since Charlie's death. Yup, it made sense that he was doing the 'loner Jack' routine.

"Alright, so he doesn't know anyone. Why is he in Canada then?"

"I think it's simply because he was riding and came to the border. I expect he just crossed over without even giving it much thought."

"That really helps us! If he's not giving it any thought then how do we know which way to go?"

"Well, if he goes west he ends up in Vancouver and the coast. It's a big city, lots of room to get lost. It's also easy to then head south down the west coast and into Washington and eventually down to California. He might even be planning to head back towards Colorado."

"Maybe", Daniel sounded doubtful.

"So, if he goes east where does he end up?" Daniel looked down at the map he had laid out in front of him.

"He'll go through the mountains to Banff and then Calgary. From there on he's on the prairies which go on for thousands of kilometers."

"So, if you were Jack which way would you go?"

"God, I don't know Sam. I guess I'd choose the coast. He's probably been riding around the interior of the country for months. Maybe he wants to see the ocean."

Sam looked at him blankly for a moment, considering. Her gut was telling her west too, she didn't know why. With a sharp nod she stood up. "Let's go to Vancouver Daniel and keep our fingers crossed that Jack had a burning desire to dip his toes in the Pacific."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Have we had any word yet?" Angrboda looked over at the human in front of her, steel flashing from her big eyes.

"Not yet." Senator Grayson looked worriedly at the small grey alien in front of him. For some reason she terrified him, even though she was half his size. "We're still looking but he did a good job of disappearing."

"I thought you were prepared for everything? We certainly provided you with enough of your money and the devices which would help you."

"Yes, but we weren't to know he'd remove the locator chip. We thought it would be an easy job to get to him, especially without his team around him."

"You are sure that SG1 is not with him?"

"Yes. With your help we made sure that SG1 firmly believed that O'Neill was a traitor. They wanted nothing more to do with him. Reports indicated he was devastated and ended up quitting and going off on his own. It would have been perfect except we lost him."

"Fools! I should have known better than to partner with humans!"

"Oh, do you really think you would have done a better job? You don't think it would have been a bit suspicious to have a bunch of Asgard trucking around Washington, D.C.?"

"We would simply have beamed him on board and that would have been the end of it."

"Oh right – and of course the American government wouldn't have said anything about losing one of their most valued generals. And what about your government – there are still a majority on the council opposed to what you are doing. And of course we musn't forget Thor. No, you would have been found out instantly and all your plans would have been for nothing. You needed us - in fact you still need us."

Angrboda turned and walked the short distance to her seat. She felt at a disadvantage when speaking with the humans who were so much taller than her. Her seat was raised so she was now looking down at the human senator who was working with her to kidnap O'Neill and others like him.

"Where is SG1 now? I have received reports that they may be looking for O'Neill."

"No, I don't think so. If that were the case I would have heard. I'm on the committee that oversees the SGC and Homeworld Security. Anything like that would have been brought to my attention. And anyway, there's no way they'll have anything to do with O'Neill. We made sure of that."

"This is full proof?"

"Oh yeah! You should have seen that video – it was a masterpiece."

"What about the humans you used?"

"Well, the ones that were 'kidnapped' on the tape – they're being held in a secure location. Unfortunately, the co-conspirators – let's just say they met a messy end. It was necessary to make the tape appear real."

"Alright then, I will believe you, although I think you should keep your eyes on SG1 just in case. I do not trust them. You are also to find O'Neill. Time is running out quickly. If we do not find him in time it will be for naught. I would not want to be in your shoes were he to die."

The Senator could feel the sweat begin to run down his back. Not for the first time he wondered what had made him get involved in this scheme. Usually all it took was the thought of that numbered off-shore bank account that made him feel better – today, that didn't seem to help.

"I'll go visit General Hammond and see if he knows anything. If there's anyone who has a clue where O'Neill is it's him."

"Fine. We only have a few more of your weeks, so I suggest you hurry." With that, Grayson could feel the effects of the Asgard beaming technology as he was returned to his home. With a sigh he went over and lifted the phone.

"George, hello. I was wondering if I could come over for a beer? We haven't talked for a while and I wanted to see how things were going." He paused as the other man spoke. "Tomorrow? That would be great. See you then."

Hanging up the phone Grayson took a deep breath. Things had better happen real soon.


	7. The Light

"Senator Grayson! Do come in." George held the door open as the Senator walked in. Grayson had been a long time supporter of the Stargate program and was one of the ones who had often stood in opposition to Senator Kinsey. George considered him a friend, not only of the program, but a personal one as well.

"It's good to see you George. How's it feel to be back in Washington?" When O'Neill had resigned Hammond had had to come back until they could find a replacement to head up Homeworld Security.

"Oh you know – not terribly thrilled to be back into the viper pit of DC politics. I was enjoying my retirement and wasn't really looking to come back, but it's only temporary so I guess I can handle it. Can I get you a drink?"

As he returned carrying a couple of bottles of beer he noticed the Senator staring out of the window, deep in thought.

"So, any ideas as to who's going to replace O'Neill?" he turned and looked at George.

"No, not really. The President hasn't been happy with any of the names put forward." He indicated that Grayson should take a seat and sat opposite him. "Personally I think he hopes Jack comes back. He relied on O'Neill more than just about anyone I think. Knew he could always count on Jack to be honest and to look at things a bit differently. Jack always had a skill at pulling rabbits out of his hat." George smiled in remembrance.

"Any chance of that happening?" the Senator sat forward.

"I doubt it. I think he's had enough. Too bad really, he was brilliant even though he'd never admit it."

"Yeah. I remember the heartburn he used to give our dear Senator Kinsey." Both men laughed, remembering how Jack had managed to get the better of the dearly departed Senator from Hell.

"So, where is Jack now? Taking it easy at his cabin I suppose." Grayson intentially spoke casually, as if he really wasn't that interested.

"No, he decided not to go there right away. I think he needed a break from everything. He was feeling pretty rough." George didn't go on to say anymore, much to the Senator's dismay.

"Really? I had heard rumors but didn't know anything in particular had happened. Was he ill?"

"Hmmm? Oh, no. No, I think he was just tired. He'd been fighting the Goa'uld and then the replicators for years. Now there was the threat of the Ori. I think he just had had enough."

"I must say I'm surprised. I thought as long as there was a threat to earth Jack would remain at the helm. Unless there were more …. _personal_ …. reasons for him to leave?"

George looked at him and frowned. Where was this coming from? "I'm sure he had lots of personal reasons but none that he shared with me."

Grayson laughed and winked. "Come on George, you and I both know about the rumors." When Hammond continued to look blank he continued. "You know, about him and Colonel Carter. There were bets on the part of all the committee members as to how long it would take for the two of them to get together."

Hammond could feel himself starting to become angry. What was Grayson doing? This wasn't like the man, to indulge in scurrilous gossip.

"Senator, you know very well that General O'Neill and Colonel Carter always behaved in a thoroughly professional manner. There were never any actions on their part that were inappropriate and I'll kindly ask you to refrain from even suggesting such a thing!"

"Whoa George! Don't get me wrong. I wasn't implying that they'd done anything wrong. I know that both of them are fine, upstanding officers. I simply meant that we thought they might get together after they were out of a direct chain of command. I swear, that's all I meant. I was just wondering if Jack had decided he wanted a 'real' life away from the front lines, that's all. No insult intended."

Hammond calmed down although he was still confused by Grayson's conversation. For some reason the man seemed a bit 'off'. Deciding to change the subject he asked after the Senator's family. George knew his wife Pat and had met two or three of his children. He knew the man took great pride in his family.

"I guess you didn't hear. Pat and I got a divorce last year. She said she'd had enough. I guess the life of a political wife finally got to her." Of course he'd never tell George that it was the prostitutes and drugs that were what really got to her. She'd finally gotten tired of his promises to do better and had refused to forgive him one more time. He'd been devastated, especially when his children had sided with their mother. He'd lost touch with them and with his grandchildren. His son had told him they didn't want him around until he cleaned up his life.

"Oh, I'm sorry Senator. I hadn't heard. I've been out of touch since my retirement." The two men chatted for a little while longer and then Grayson stood up, saying he had to get back to work. He shook George's hand and said how much he'd enjoyed the visit.

"We'll have to get together again while you're still in DC George. Keep in touch now!" Waving he'd walked out to his car and drove off.

Hammond stood in the doorway for a few minutes, wondering what that had been about. He heard a noise behind him and turned. "Hi Teal'c. You doing okay in there?" Teal'c had stayed in the library during the Senator's visit, figuring it was easier than trying to explain his presence.

"I'm fine General Hammond. How was the Senator?" Teal'c and the rest of SG1 had met him on a few occasions when he'd visited the SGC.

"I guess he's okay but that was a very strange conversation. There's something suspicious here Teal'c."

Teal'c looked at him, his eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"He seemed too interested in Jack. I think this was a fishing expedition."

"I do not understand. Why would he be interested in fish? Is he desirous of going to O'Neill's cabin?"

"No Teal'c, I simply meant he was looking for information. I think he wants to know where O'Neill has gone."

"May I ask what you told him General?"

"Just that I didn't know where he was, that Jack wanted some time on his own." He took a deep breath and looked up. "Teal'c, I'm going to go talk to the President. I think we need to keep an eye on the Senator. Can you let Thor and Sam and Daniel know?"

"Of course General. I will tell Commander Thor when he communicates with me." Thor had arranged to keep in touch with General Hammond on a regular basis. "I will also inform Colonel Carter."

"Good. Let's see what we can find."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Ta da!" O'Neill unveiled the project to Molly, who they had dragged into the basement.

"My goodness!" she said, looking at the mysterious shapes in front of her and the 'planets' hanging from the ceiling. It was very obvious that, while Jack had helped, he'd let Chris do the majority of the actual building. On the table was a model 'spaceship' – which looked pretty much like a spider, as far as she could tell. The middle body had a door which dropped down and little aliens coming out of it. In front of the ship, and to a totally different scale, was another alien. He was grey with a large head and eyes and a small skinny body. He had a tiny mouth with two long fangs sticking out from it.

Of the two planets, one was clearly earth – although the continents were a bit misshapen. On top of it were teeny tiny 'people'. The other planet was a swirl of discordant colors and it sported some more of the aliens.

"Well", she looked over at her grandson with a fierce expression. He looked extremely worried. "Well" she started again, "this is the most marvelous project I've ever seen. Don't tell me that you did this young man? This must have been done by someone at least in Grade 4!"

Chris grinned and ran over to his Grandma when she opened her arms. "I'm so proud of you Christopher and I know your Mom and Dad would be proud too." If three pairs of eyes were filled with tears no one was going to tell.

"And _you_", she looked over at Jack. "I suspect you're behind some of this, aren't you?"

"The alien was his idea Grandma. I wanted an alien with eight legs but he said this was more realistic." Molly looked at the alien again and then back at Jack.

"Realistic, eh?" he grinned. He so wished he could introduce her to Thor!

"Well, I can see that both of you have some very overactive imaginations! I think that calls for only one thing!" They both looked at her; Chris with worry, Jack with humor.

"Yes indeed. I believe this calls for cake – a very big piece of chocolate cake with icing and a glass of milk!"

"Yeah!" Chris shouted.

"Yeah!" Jack shouted too, a grin on his face.

"And what makes you think you're getting any Jack my boy?" Molly frowned at him.

"Because you love me so much Molly?"

She swatted him and then sent the two boys up to the kitchen to wait for the cake. It took a while for Jack to get up on his crutches although he was getting pretty proficient with them.

By the time they'd all had a piece of cake, Chris chattering the whole time, Molly could tell that Jack was coming down again with one of his headaches. She was extremely worried about him because it was clear they were coming more and more often. She'd begged him to go get them checked out but he'd refused, saying that they'd given him all sorts of tests already when he was in hospital and they hadn't found anything! She was seriously tempted to call Susanna but didn't want to go behind Jack's back after all he'd done for them.

Chris was like a new child. Oh, he still grieved for his parents and would for a long time. But at least now there was some joy in his life. He loved his grandmother and she loved him dearly as well, but she knew that he needed more in his life than an elderly woman.

She worried about what was going to happen to him. She was 81 this year and knew she wouldn't be able to keep going for the years it would take for him to grow up. She'd considered finding someone to take him after her daughter and son-in-law had been killed but couldn't do it. Both of them had needed each other then – both dealing with the tragic loss and the grief that ensued. But now, she wondered if it wouldn't be for the best. Maybe she could find him a family with other children?

As she went to bed that night she worried again about her grandson. She had been feeling poorly and it just brought home how vulnerable they both were.

It must have been in the middle of the night when Jack heard a sound that woke him from a restless sleep. At first he couldn't tell what it was or where it had come from. Then he heard it again. It was a sound half-way between a choke and a groan. In a second he realized that it was coming from down the hall. He quickly threw off the covers and jumped out of bed – or at least he tried to jump – he'd forgotten the damn cast. He almost fell but managed to grab the bed and hold on. Once he'd regained his balance he grabbed the crutches and hurried down the hall as fast as he could.

Oh God! When he walked into Molly's room he could see that she was on the floor, tangled in the blankets. He heard a horrible sort of 'rasp' coming from her, although it was sounding weaker with every breath. Hitting the light he threw his crutches to the side and hobbled over to her. To hell with what the doctor said about not walking on his leg!

"Molly." He got down on the floor and gently tried to untangle her from the covers, making sure her face was free of the material. Dear God! Her face was grey, her lips blue. She was struggling to breath but was still conscious. She looked up at Jack and tried to speak.

"llkk ccccr" She gasped again.

"It's okay Molly. I'm gonna call an ambulance and I'll be right back. Just hang on."

"Nnn" she weakly clutched his shirt. "nnnnno" the horrible rasping continued. Jack had seen many people die in his life and he recognized the sound. No! he shouted to himself. This can't happen – not to Molly!

"Loo …k Chrsss" she was struggling to get a message to him. Listening to her he knew exactly what she was worried about.

"Molly, don't worry. I'll look after Christopher. I promise you that he'll be fine. I love him too and I'll make sure he's okay." She relaxed as soon as she heard him speak, although the rattling breath continued. Her eyes soon closed and the breathing grew softer and shallower.

Jack held her in his arms, just the way he'd held a dying child so many years ago. He rocked her gently, trying to give her comfort in her last moments. He could feel the tears dropping from his eyes and let them fall, they didn't matter.

"No, Molly. Not you too", he whispered. He closed his eyes and wished, with all his soul, that this wasn't happening. As he continued to hold her, praying for a miracle, he didn't see the light begin to form – the light that was coming from him and that reached out and circled around the tiny little woman, bathing her in a warm glow." All he knew was that he began to feel very tired; very tired and very warm, as if he was being wrapped in a cocoon which got tighter and tighter. Eventually his body relaxed and the two of them fell softly to the ground.

"Jack. Jack" he heard his name being called but he was just too tired to wake up. "Jack, why are you hugging Grandma?" What? What was going on? With all his energy he finally managed to open his eyes, just a slit. He looked and saw that he was on the floor, the old woman beside him.

Oh no. He suddenly remembered what had happened and knew he had to shield Chris from this new tragedy. He didn't want the boy to see his Grandmother lying dead in front of him.

"Uh Chris. Why don't you go to your room and get dressed. I'll uh, see to your grandma."

"Okay, but I think you're squishing her."

"Uh – she wasn't feeling well and we both fell."

"Is she okay now?"

"Chris, just get dressed. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay Jack." he could hear the little boy walking down the hall. He pulled his arm from under Molly and tried to sit up. It was almost impossible, however, as he felt so weak. He looked down at the older woman. "I'm sorry Molly!"

As he stared at this woman who, in such a short time, had brought healing to him he was startled to realize she looked not too bad. He saw that she had color in her cheeks and – oh my God! She was breathing. She hadn't died!

He forced himself up and tried to figure out how he would get her up off the floor. He'd better call an ambulance. Struggling to his feet he looked around for his crutches. Damn, he had to make his way over to where they'd fallen. He'd only taken one step when,

"What are you doing Jack! You know the doctor said you weren't to walk on that leg yet. And what am I doing on the floor?" He whipped around and there was Molly, looking perfectly fit, trying to disentangle herself from the blankets still wrapped partially around her.

He stared at her, stunned. He was sure she had been dying. What the hell had happened?

"Well don't just stand there. Help an old lady up!" Bemused he reached down and helped her to her feet. She straightened out her nightgown and told him to 'stay still'. Walking over to his crutches she picked them up and handed them to him.

"A cat got your tongue Jack?" She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was doing in her room and why she had been on the floor. As she looked at him it all started to come back to her. The realization had her gasping and going weak at the knees. It was a good thing the bed was behind her because she would have fallen on the floor otherwise. As it was she sat down, hard, and looked at Jack.

"I was dying!" she looked at him as if to ask what this was about. For some reason she was sure he knew something. Just as it looked like he was going to say something she spoke again. "Don't lie to me Jack. You were here, I remember that. I was dying, wasn't I?"

Licking his suddenly dry lips he nodded. "Yes", he whispered.

"Then what happened, because I feel just fine; better than fine actually. I don't remember feeling this good in years. I can't even feel my arthritis. So tell me, what happened?"

Finally Jack was able to pull himself together enough to be able to speak, although he didn't have anything particularly intelligent to say.

"I heard a noise in the middle of the night. When I realized it was coming from your room I came to check on you. I found you on the floor and tried to help. You wouldn't let me call an ambulance and, looking at you I knew you didn't have much time." When she looked at him curiously at this he felt he had to explain. "I've seen people die – I recognized from your breathing you didn't have long. I knew an ambulance wouldn't get here in time."

"So what happened?"

"I don't know!" he cried. "I was holding you – no one should ever die alone – and then I felt so tired. I guess I fell asleep. I woke up a minute ago when Chris came in. I sent him away, expecting to see you dead beside me. That's all I know."

"Jack." She looked at him with a strange look in her eyes. "I remember something else. I remember a feeling as if life was re-entering me. It was so comforting, so peaceful. It was as if I was enveloped in this healing warmth. Do you remember that?"

There was something in him that knew what she was saying but he couldn't actually remember anything. Shrugging, he shook his head.

"No, I don't remember that. I don't know what happened Molly, I swear." As he looked at her he could feel the headache start to return. Within seconds the pain began to get worse and worse. Soon he was clutching his head in agony. The crutches felt to the floor followed by Jack. His world condensed into a ball of pain and suffering. All he could do was groan and rock back and forth on the floor. Molly looked on in horror and then ran to her bedside table to call 911.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"What is it Holler?" Angrboda was not happy and did not appreciate the interruption. Her plans seemed to be going awry and she blamed the humans. This was the Asgard's last hope, their last chance to save their race and she would not let the lives of a few puny aliens stop her!

"We have received a report."

"Well, don't just stand there like a fool. What kind of report."

"There has been some unusual activity on earth."

She sighed. Some days she wondered if they truly were a superior race. Maybe the cloning process had started mental, as well as physical, deterioration in some of her people.

"And what might this 'unusual activity' entail?"

"It appears to be some kind of Ancient energy source. It was not evident for long enough for us to gather complete data. That is all we know."

Angrboda sat up, interested now. "All? Do we have a location?"

"We have the general vicinity but not the exact location."

"So what is the 'general vicinity'?"

"It came from a place called 'British Columbia' in a country called Canada. It is to the north of the United States. They are allies of the Americans."

Hmmm, she thought to herself. Had the American government approached their allies in this? This may signify that they know something is happening. Slightly worried she turned to Holler.

"Find out where exactly in this 'British Columbia'. I will contact the Senator and he can send some of his people there as well. I believe we may soon find O'Neill and then we can solve our problems." She looked at the Asgard standing there. "Well GO! Don't just stand there. We need to find him quickly. He doesn't have long."


	8. The Lost is Found

"Okay Sam, we're not getting anywhere. We've checked out how many places and there's been absolutely no sign of him. The last sighting was just west of the border where we think he crossed – after that zilch."

"I know Daniel. What do you want me to do? I have no idea where he'd be. This was always just a guess."

"Where's that 'O'Neill logic' you were so sure of." he said sarcastically.

Sam was silent, hurt by Daniel's anger and by the fact that they'd spent so many days on what was beginning to feel like a wild goose chase. She was starting to have this horrible feeling that they'd never see the General again. Maybe it was true – maybe he'd already been taken. Furiously wiping her face so Daniel couldn't see the evidence of the tears starting to fall she turned away.

"I guess I was wrong Daniel. You can blame me. I know it was all my fault anyway."

She heard a soft rustling and then two hands fell on her shoulders and gently turned her around. He pulled her to him and rested his head against hers. "I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean to lash out at you. I'm just scared and frustrated. It's not your fault - or rather it's all our faults. We caused this, all of us, and we're going to make it right. It's just going to take a little longer than we thought."

They stood there for a while, both trying to get a handle on their emotions and hoping to gain strength from each other. They had known this was a 'needle in the haystack' kind of search; it's just that they hadn't realized how painful it was going to be.

Suddenly a sound broke the stillness. "That's my cell phone", Sam muttered. Stepping away from Daniel she pulled it from her purse. "Hello" she looked at Daniel and mouthed 'Teal'c'.

She listened for a few minutes and then signed off saying, "Okay Teal'c, I'll tell him. Thanks, you too."

"Teal'c said to say 'hi'?"

"He did? That doesn't sound like him."

Sam grinned, although she still felt rather teary eyed. "Well actually he said to 'tell Daniel Jackson to remain strong as a warrior should."

"Oh, so in other words he said to say hi."

"Yeah!" she laughed. Teal'c was such a dear. They were so lucky to have him as a friend. She went on to tell Daniel what he'd told her about Senator Grayson.

"So, General Hammond thinks he may be involved? What are we supposed to do?"

"Just keep an eye out. The General and Teal'c are checking things out on their end. They just wanted to warn us in case we ran into him." Both of them were tired after another long day of traveling so Daniel flipped on the TV while Sam got out her laptop. She still felt like there was something she was missing.

They'd been sitting for a while when, out of the blue, the Asgard beam shone in the room and Thor appeared.

"Thor! What's up?" Daniel sat up from his bed.

"Greetings Daniel Jackson, Colonel Carter. I have come to share some news with you."

"Have you found him?" Sam looked hopefully at the little Asgard.

"No, I am sorry, I have not. I wanted to report some strange activity however."

"How so Thor?" Daniel looked worriedly at their friend.

"A few days ago my monitors picked up an Asgard transport beam. I do not know from what ship as it is cloaked but it did beam someone from and to the Washington DC area."

"If it happened a few days ago why are you just telling us now?"

"I am alone on my ship Daniel. I am unable to monitor everything so review my records when I have the opportunity. I have been concentrating on trying to find O'Neill. As of today I have also been assisting General Hammond in monitoring the activity of Senator Grayson."

"I'm sorry Thor. I know it's just you and we appreciate the help. Do you have any idea who it would be? Do you think it could be Jack?"

"No, although I assume it is someone who is involved in the plot to capture O'Neill. If it was legitimate Asgard business they would have contacted me or earth. No, whoever it is they wish to remain anonymous."

"They've got to know you're here. If you are able to monitor them they must be able to do the same with you."

"That is true although I have added addition technology to mask my presence."

"Really? When did you do that?"

"After I got to know O'Neill. He taught me to be 'sneaky'. I decided to modify my ship without telling the council."

The two humans looked at their friend and ally and could only marvel at how Jack's influence had spread throughout the galaxy. It looked like they were correct when they said he was 'special'.

"So, we know someone else is looking for Jack. I wonder if they're in cahoots with Grayson?"

"What is 'cahoots'?" Thor loved to learn new words.

"It means 'in league with' or 'in partnership with'. I'm just wondering if Grayson is working with the Asgard?"

"It is most likely. It would be difficult for the Asgard to work on earth without help."

"Well, thanks for letting us know Thor. Can you keep monitoring things?"

"I will indeed. There is something else that you must know. My equipment just recorded another anomaly."

"What is it?" Sam asked, concerned.

"There was a surge of energy last night."

"Okay – a surge of energy? Was it from the cloaked ship?"

"No, it came from earth but it was impossible to determine the exact location, just that it was not far from here."

"Alright. I'm still not getting this Thor. What was so special about this 'energy'?"

"It was Ancient in origin."

"Ancient?" Daniel stood up. "Are we talking 'Ancient' as in the builders of the gates, etc. etc."

"I do not know about etcetera but yes, that is correct."

"Do you mean to tell me that someone used an Ancient device on earth last night?"

"I do not know if it was a device or not, just that the energy signature was of the Ancient ones. I will continue to monitor and let you know if it happens again."

"And you don't know who or what it could be?"

"I am sorry, I do not. I must go but you may contact me if you need me again. I will let you know if I discover anything more." With that the Asgard beamed out of their room.

"What do you think it means Sam?"

"I don't know Daniel, but I do know it's somehow related to Jack. We've _got_ to find him!" She sat back down on her bed, looking in frustration at her computer. There had to be something that would lead them to Jack! She started typing in various things but still nothing came up.

It was two hours later and Daniel was ready for bed. He quickly showered and changed into his sweats. Since more often then not he and Sam shared a room – both to save money but also to give each other company – he'd taken to wearing sweats to bed. Sam tended to do the same.

Just as he lay down, scrunching his pillow to try and make it more comfortable, he heard a squeak from Sam. He glanced over and saw her looking intensely at the screen. Her head came up and she looked at Daniel.

"I think I found him." She turned the screen so he could see it. Written there was a newspaper headline, which read, "Motorcycle crash injures one".

"Are you sure it's him?"

"I don't know for sure Daniel but it might be. It happened just after he would have crossed the border and just to the west of there. It says the rider was taken to hospital in" she looked at the screen again. "a place called 'Penticton'". Daniel quickly grabbed the map by his bed and checked it out.

"Yeah, here it is." He pointed to a place slightly north. "Did it say how seriously he was injured?"

"It says he was taken to hospital where the doctors said he was in serious but stable condition."

"But it could still be anybody."

"Yes, but it identified the kind of bike and it's the same one the General had."

"How in the world did you find it anyway?"

"Well, I looked under absolutely everything I could think of and then I decided to key in his motorcycle along with 'British Columbia'. This article came up."

"God. We'll have to go there first thing tomorrow. How far is it from here?" Sam did a quick check on the computer.

"It looks like it's about 200 kilometers. That should only take us a couple of hours. I wish we could go now."

"I know, me too. There's no point though – everyone will be asleep. Let's have a good night's rest and we can check it out. Let's just hope he's okay and that he's still there."

After a few minutes Sam turned off the light but neither of them got too much sleep that night, worried and yet hopeful about what tomorrow might bring.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Molly tried to get Chris to go to school but he absolutely refused. Knowing how traumatic this was for him she agreed to let him come to the hospital with her. She hoped to god Jack was okay, not just for his sake, but for Chris's as well. She didn't know how the little boy would cope with losing another person from his life.

The two of them sat in the small waiting room as the doctors checked Jack. She knew she should have insisted he go to the hospital sooner.

"Damn foolish stubborn man!" she muttered under her breath. "What is it about members of the male sex? You'd think going to a doctor was worse than being tortured!" Chris looked up at her, his eyes red from crying.

"Don't you like him Grandma?"

"Like who?" she asked, confused by his question.

"Jack. You sound like you're mad at him?"

"Oh heavens child." She reached over and pulled the little boy to her. "Of course I like Jack. I like him a lot. I'm just mad that he didn't go to the doctor sooner. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten so sick."

"I think he was scared."

"Scared? Why do you say that?"

"He used to get a funny look in his eyes. I think that doctors scare him. He's been hurt a lot."

She looked down at this dear little boy who meant the world to her and recognized that he was both innocent and yet had a very old soul. In some ways he was very much like Jack; a combination of innocence and the wisdom that comes from much suffering.

"Will he be okay Grandma?" the little boy asked, sniffling softly.

"If I have anything to say about it he will be!" She said fiercely. There was no way this man was going to die on her like her child had done. She'd do anything to prevent it if she could.

As the two of them were sitting waiting for news of Jack they saw a couple walk into the hospital and approach the front desk. The woman, a tall, very attractive blond, was followed closely by a dark haired man with glasses who was about her age. They looked like they could be husband and wife. As Molly watched she saw the woman pull something from her purse and show it to the receptionist. With a shake of her head the woman directed her over to the emergency desk.

"Over here Daniel" she indicated to the man. "She said to check with Emergency. If he was brought in here they'd probably recognize him." Molly continued to watch as the two walked over to the nurse on duty. The blond woman gave her a quick smile as she walked in front of Molly. The older woman thought she looked rather sweet. Too bad she's married, she thought. I bet she's the kind of woman Jack would like. She glanced down at Chris and was surprised to see him staring at the woman.

"Do you know her Christopher?" she asked her grandson. He was looking at the woman as if he recognized her.

"No. I just got a funny feeling when she walked by. I think she looks nice."

"Yes she does, and so does her husband." The dark haired man happened to glance over at the little boy at that moment and was surprised by the dark glare he received. Chris had decided he didn't like this man.

The nurse was in the middle of a call so the two people waited for her to be finished. Just then the doors to the emergency room opened and Susanna Johansson came out and walked straight over to Molly and Chris.

"How is he Susanna?"

"He's okay for now Molly. We've given him some strong pain medication and he's resting quietly. The doctor sent him for an MRI but we won't know the results for a while. Why don't you go home and rest? There's really nothing you can do here right now."

"No! I don't want to go home. I want to see Jack." Chris sounded on the verge of tears. The two women were caught up in trying to comfort the little boy so missed the fact that the two standing at the desk had both whipped around when they heard the name 'Jack'.

"I won't leave him. He has to be okay – he promised to come in and see me present our project. I can't do it without him!"

"Daniel", Sam whispered. "We don't know that that's 'our Jack'. Let's just wait and see what the nurse says." She'd reached out and grabbed his arm as he'd started to move to where the little boy was seated with the two women. He nodded but kept his eye on the trio.

"Can I help you?" the nurse was finished her call and smiled up at the couple in front of her.

Sam showed her the picture and asked if it was the man who was brought in a few weeks prior.

"Oh yes, he was here. I was on duty the night he came in. The doctors say it was quite a miracle. Usually such a bad motorcycle accident is deadly but he only ended up with a few injuries." The nurse was young and quite a chatterbox.

"Is he still in the hospital?"

"Who? Mr. Connor? No, they discharged him a few days after he was brought in."

"Mr. Connor?" she glanced at Daniel who grimaced. "Do you happen to know where he went?"

"No, I'm sorry. I know they wouldn't have released him without someone to look after him. He had a pretty badly broken leg and was pretty banged up. I assume he went to stay with his family or something."

"No! He's dead isn't he? Jack is dead and you're not telling me!" Sam looked around and could see that the little boy was practically in hysterics. Both the older lady and the nurse were struggling to hold him. He seemed intent on getting away from them.

"He's not dead Chris. They've just taken him for some tests to see what's wrong with him. He'll be back soon, I promise." Susanna looked up at Molly who was practically crying. They both knew that he was terrified after having lost both parents. They just wished they knew what to do.

"Hi there." A soft voice spoke to Chris. He looked up from where he was struggling with his grandmother to see the pretty lady in front of him. She was kneeling down and speaking to him calmly. For some reason he instantly felt better. He sniffed loudly but stopped pulling on his grandmother.

"Hi", he hiccupped softly in return.

"Was one of your friends hurt?" she asked.

"Jack. He's my best friend and he wasn't hurt, he's sick."

"I'm sorry, it's sad when your friends are sick. I'm sure he'll get better though. The doctors and nurses will take good care of him."

"What if he's dead?" he spoke with such heart-rending sorrow that Sam had to wonder what had happened to this little boy. She glanced up at the nurse who smiled and shook her head.

"No, he's not dead, I promise. The nurses and doctors wouldn't lie to you. They can't" she leaned in and whispered in his ear "the police would arrest them if they lied about that."

His eyes grew big and he asked "really?"

"Mmmm hmmmm. They're not allowed to lie to people. I'm sure the nurse is right and the doctors are just looking at him to see what's wrong. As soon as he's finished I'm sure they'll let you in to see him."

He sniffed again but looked much happier than a minute ago, although still obviously worried. "He promised he'd come with me to school when I have to show my project. We made it together."

"Did you? I bet it's wonderful."

"It is. Grandma said it was the most marl..evous project ever. Jack and me did an alien ship and aliens and everything." He was the one who leaned forward this time and whispered in her ear, "the aliens eat people! They're very mean. Jack said he believed in aliens even though Mrs. Stokes says they're a fignut."

Sam was a little confused by this but figured out that 'Jack' was considered pretty special by this boy for believing in aliens. "Is Jack in your school?"

The little boy laughed. "No silly, he's a grown up. He's really old. Not as old as Grandma but too old for school. We even named our aliens!" Clearly the boy liked to talk about his project. It probably took his mind off what was happening. She glanced up at Daniel who was waiting patiently. When the boy saw her look he scowled again. He didn't want the man to take this lady away.

"Really? You named them? What a good idea. What were their names?"

"I named mine Kyle and Jarod and Emily."

"What excellent names. They sound very evil!"

"Yeah! And Jack named his" he had to think a bit to remember, "oh yeah, he named his Mayberry and Simon." He looked at her proudly.

"Sam!" She looked up and nodded at Daniel. Yes, she was starting to get the same feeling. The names were just too similar.

"So", she turned back to the boy. The nurse had returned to her duties but the grandmother was looking on indulgently. She was happy that this woman seemed to be able to distract her grandson. "What do these aliens look like?"

"You wanna see?" he asked happily. Without waiting for an answer he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a very worn, crinkled piece of paper. He unfolded it carefully and smoothed it out before handing it to Sam. "Jack drew that! I added the fangs", he said proudly.

Sam stared at the paper without moving, barely even breathing. "Sam?" Daniel tried to get her attention. Without a word she handed him the paper. The boy didn't look happy at this.

"Oh my God Sam! It's him! It's our Jack."

"I know." Only Jack could have drawn such a perfect picture of an Asgard for a little boy doing a project on aliens.

"No!" the boy almost shouted. "It's not your Jack, he's mine!" Suddenly, from being a sweet little seven year old he was suddenly an angry child fearful of losing the one thing that had brought some security and happiness back to his life. The pretty lady tried to reach out to him but he pulled away, now mistrustful of her.

"Please", she said softly, "we're not going to take him away from you. I know you love him very much. It's just that we have been looking for our friend for a long time. We've been very worried about him and we love him too. I know him, he has lots of love to give. He's not going to stop loving you just because we're here."

"You'll take him away!" What could they say to that? That was their plan.

"Who are you people?" The older lady suddenly spoke for the first time. Sam looked up and saw her looking down suspiciously. Daniel moved over and sat beside her.

"As Sam said we've been looking for our friend for a long time. He disappeared months ago and all of us are worried about him."

"And you think that our Jack is your friend."

"Yes, we think so."

"What's his name?"

"It's Jack O'Neill. General Jack O'Neill."

"That's not my Jack!" the little boy cried. "My Jack's name is Connor and he's not a General!"

"Shhh Chris. Just let me handle this." She turned to the attractive couple in front of her. "My grandson is correct. His name is Connor and he certainly never said anything about being a General. You must have the wrong person."

Sam reached in her purse and pulled out the picture again. Silently, she handed it over to the woman. Molly looked down and could feel her face go white. She looked up and handed it back.

"It's him. It's our Jack." Chris started to sob and she reached out and pulled him to her. She looked up at the young woman, who began to speak.

"Please, can you tell me what's wrong? Why is he in hospital. The nurse said he'd been released weeks ago."

"After his accident – you know about that?" when Sam and Daniel nodded she continued. "Well, they wouldn't let him leave if he didn't have anyone to look after him. He was too badly injured. Oh, it wasn't life threatening or anything like that. He was just banged up pretty badly." she quickly added when she noticed the look on the woman's face. "It was just with his leg in a cast he'd need some help. I have an extra room in my house so they arranged to have him come and stay until he was better. Since he's been with us he started developing headaches. They kept getting worse but he refused to go to the doctor even though I begged him to. This morning he almost passed out from the pain so I called the ambulance. Susanna just told me they've sent him for an MRI to see if they can find anything." She stopped talking and watched the couple. They looked both releaved and yet upset at the same time.

"How do you know Jack?" she asked. She had been surprised both by the name but also by the fact that the man seemed to be running from something.

"We're his friends. My name is Samantha Carter and this is Daniel Jackson. We worked with Jack for eight years as part of the same team. He's a General in the Air Force and I'm a Colonel. Daniel here is a Doctor of Archaeology. We worked at Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado. Last year Jack was transferred to Washington to work in the Pentagon but about six months ago something happened – something very bad – and he resigned. We …. were told lies about what had occurred and we believed the lies rather than Jack. He was hurt by our lack of faith and he left. We've been trying to find him ever since to apologize and make things right."

Molly sat and looked at this very attractive woman for a few minutes. She could tell that the woman had suffered greatly over what she had done. She could also tell that she was in love with Jack. She suddenly realized that this woman must have been at the heart of a lot of what had been bothering the man.

"I see. I can't understand how you could have not believed him after working with him for so long. I can see what kind of man he is and I've only known him for a few weeks. He'd never do anything bad – he's just not that kind of person."

"We know" Daniel spoke up for the first time. "We all feel horribly ashamed and can't understand how we were so quick to lose faith. We need to tell him how sorry we are. This has hurt him terribly."

"Yes, it has. Do you think he will forgive you?" She looked back and forth between the two. It was Samantha who answered.

"No. No, he won't forgive us and we don't expect him to but for his sake we need to let him know, to apologize. We also have to warn him. We believe some of the people who told these lies are out to hurt him. He's a very important man."

"I'll protect him!" Chris stood up and looked very fierce. "I won't let anyone hurt Jack!"

Sam and Daniel both had to smile. Jack had gained another protector. The little boy – Chris – suddenly looked at Daniel with a suspicious look on his face.

"Are you married to her?" he asked.

"Uh no. We're just good friends. We've been friends for a long time." Chris looked relieved but then asked a second question.

"Do you believe in aliens?" Daniel pushed his glasses up and looked at Sam for help. She grinned and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, yes, yes I do. I believe in aliens!" Chris gave him a big grin and nodded.

"Okay, if you're a friend of Jack's and you believe in aliens then I like you too." He turned to Sam. "I like you too Samantha. I think Jack likes you a lot!"

Not sure what to say to the young boy Sam was relieved when the nurse came out.

"Jack's finished his tests and he's been taken to a room. He's a bit doped up but doing okay. They're admitting him overnight for observation. You can go in and see him now; he's in room 523." She smiled and went back into the Emergency room.

"Would you like to come with us to see him?" Molly spoke softly. She worried a bit about Jack but she was confident these two wouldn't hurt him.

Sam wondered what would be the best. In some ways it might be easier if others were present. On the other hand she didn't know if it would be fair to him when he was groggy and on pain killers.

"Why don't you go in first? We'll wait a while." Molly gave her a knowing look but nodded.

"I'll let you know how he's doing. Will you be here?"

"Yes, we'll stay in the waiting room."

As Molly left with a skipping Chris the two friends looked at each other. They were both frightened, knowing that their search had finally ended, but not knowing how Jack would react.

"We should let Thor and Teal'c know." Daniel told Sam.

"Yes, I think we should let Thor know first and have him contact Teal'c and General Hammond. I'm worried about speaking over an unsecured line." Daniel agreed and went to find a private room somewhere where he could contact their alien buddy.

He returned almost 20 minutes later with a worried look on his face. "He didn't answer. I can't figure out what's wrong. He said he'd monitor our communications and he's always responded instantly before."

Sam looked worried as well. Thor wouldn't ignore them unless something else very important had come up. She wondered if they _should_ contact General Hammond.

"You can go in now Samantha, Daniel." Molly was standing in front of them with a clearly relieved Chris.

"How is he?"

"He's good. He said he's gonna come to my presentation." Chris was happily bouncing on the souls of his feet. He definitely reminded them of Jack!

"He's still a little out of it but was joking around and complaining about being in the hospital. The medication seems to be helping the headache."

"Did you tell him about us?"

"No, did you want me too?"

"No, that's okay. Thanks Molly. Will you be here when we come out?"

"No, I have to take Chris home and fix him some lunch. Here's my address and phone number." She wrote it out on a piece of paper and handed it to Sam. "Call me or come over when you're done." She started to walk away and then turned. "And don't let him be his usual pig-headed self! Make him listen to you." With that she did turn away, pulling a wiggling boy beside her.

"Okay Daniel, this is it." As the two of them walked down the long corridor they both prayed that Jack would listen and that he would believe them. They knew this was going to be difficult and most likely painful – but they were doing it out of love for their former commander, teammate and, most especially, their friend.


	9. Never Again

_**Although I do try and get back to my wonderful reviewers I know I probably sometimes miss some – so I wanted to give a wide and very sincere 'thank you' for all your wonderful comments, encouragement and suggestions! I'd also like to say a special 'thank you' to my fellow Canadians. I've had a wonderful time since moving to Boston and have been incredibly touched by the warmth and kindness I've received here – but at times I do miss my home country (Loonies, kilometers and Celsius and most importantly - Tim Horton's!) so thank you to my fellow Canucks-I really love hearing from you! **_

_**Oh, and a quick note to my fellow Americans (I'm actually a citizen of both countries) – please know that there's more to Canada than it 'being cold'! It's a beautiful country with vibrant cities, fantastic culture and gorgeous natural beauty - and a lot of it is warmer than many places in the States. So please, the next time you speak with a Canadian don't say 'oh, it's cold there!' I think I speak for a lot of Canadians when I say we'd really like to be known for more than our weather! Thanks and I love everybody from both my countries!**_

_**Okay – on with the story!**_

Thor knew, as soon as he rematerialized, that he was not on his ship. The sight of the Asgard standing in front of him only confirmed that fact.

"Angrboda. I should have known it was you." Thor spoke calmly.

"Yes Thor, you should have. Did you think it would end with Loki? There are many of us that agreed with him and that worked with him. We are continuing what he was trying to accomplish."

"And what is that Angrboda? What do you accomplish with your actions? You are only harming good people, allies of the Asgard."

"No! I am saving our people. I am saving the whole Asgard race."

"By killing and harming others? That is not the Asgard way. You know that our way has always been the way of peace. Our race is a protector of what is good. What you are doing defiles that history."

"NO!" she practically screamed. "You would sacrifice an entire race and all the good we can do over the lives of one or two humans? Is it worth it Thor? What matters one life compared to that of millions. What will happen to the rest of the galaxy if the Asgard are gone? How will we protect anyone? You have lost sight of what is important Thor. What we do is good for the many. I am not evil and nor are my colleagues. We do what is right."

Thor looked at the small Asgard in front of him and wondered how she deceived herself. "You say you do what you do for good? How is it ever good to kill, to lie, to destroy? Do you not think you could have gone to the humans – gone to O'Neill – and explained what you were looking for? He would have done anything in his power to help. You did not need to destroy everything he holds dear. He has always been a friend to us and you abused that friendship. It is not up to me to say whether or not you have become 'evil' Angrboda – but if I were you I would look very carefully at myself and what I had become."

"Enough! I do not need to listen to you. Things are in place and soon we will have what we need. One day everyone will thank me when our race is on the way back to health and life. The Asgard will honor your friend O'Neill as the savior of our people."

Thor just stood there, feeling despair over his failure. He now knew he could not help his friends. He just hoped that once again SG1 would be victorious.

"Do you plan to kill me?" he calmly asked.

"Kill you? You really do believe that I have lost all respect for our ways. No Thor, I will not kill you. I will hold you here until our task is done. When we have what we need I will release you."

"Do you believe the Council will let you proceed with your 'experiments'? They will stop you."

She laughed. "Oh, you are so naïve Thor. Many of the Council are all ready on my side. How do you think we were able to convince the humans to help with our little 'adventure'? Those who do not agree will be brought on side. They will quickly realize there is no other way." She turned and spoke to the Asgard standing beside her. "Holler, take Thor to a room and see that he is comfortable. He may be with us for awhile."

As Thor turned to walk out she spoke one last time. "We could use your help Thor. If we locate O'Neill quickly we can do this without harming anyone else."

Thor turned back around. "I will not be party to what you are doing Angrboda. What you do is wrong. History will not reward you – it will look on what you have done in shame." Nodding to Holler he continued out of the room. Angrboda looked angry but turned back to her consol, working at finding O'Neill.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"General Hammond, I cannot contact Thor. He is not responding." Hammond looked at the Jaffa with worry in his eyes. If they'd taken Thor out it meant that the bad guys were getting close.

"What do we know of Grayson?" With the President's help a tail had been put on the Senator. They'd brought in people from other agencies that had no connection to the Stargate Program in order to reduce the risk of anyone finding out.

"He has booked a flight to western Canada. He is flying into Vancouver and has arranged for a vehicle."

"Teal'c, I think it might be good for you to head out as well. I have a feeling things may be coming to a head."

"I will do that General. Should I to fly to Vancouver?"

"Do we know where Sam and Daniel are right now?"

"No, I have not heard from them either. I am concerned, as I know they are, about security. It is too easy to monitor calls and without Thor we are in the dark."

"Damn! They've got to know something has happened with Thor. Maybe they'll try and get in touch another way. In the meantime, I'll see if I can arrange a transport for you."

"I believe it would be better for me if you were to arrange a private flight. We do not know if anyone in the Air Force has been compromised."

"Damn, you're right. That leaves out any of our ships. I'll see if I can get you a small plane. It's going to be easier for you to fly into Idaho or Washington and cross the border by car. You might have some trouble going through airport security with your" Hammond pointed to his head and gut. Even though he no longer had a symbiote he had his pouch, which would cause no end of problems going through the machines at public airports.

"Thank you General. That will be good. Hopefully we will hear from Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter before I leave. Do you not wish to come?"

"Hell yes! I wish I could go but I think I'd better stay here and keep an eye out. I'm worried that someone other than Grayson may be involved. Maybe you should take someone from the SGC – someone you can trust."

For a moment Teal'c wished that Maybourne were still on earth. He would have been invaluable in this kind of a situation. He tried to think of anyone else who would be helpful.

"Is Major Davis still in Washington?"

"Paul Davis? Yes, although he's a Colonel now - but he'd be perfect. I'll see if I can get him without tipping anyone off. The best is to go through the President. I'll make the arrangements now Teal'c. Keep trying to contact Thor. We'll have you out of here as soon as possible.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Daniel reached out and took Sam's hand as they stood by Jack's door and gave it a squeeze. She looked at him and smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She was frightened, as was he. They knew this was going to be painful.

As Daniel stepped into the room, closely followed by Sam, he saw that Jack was awake although he had his head turned, looking out the window. His hands were fidgeting, continually folding and unfolding the sheets. It was such a typical 'Jack' thing to do that it brought a lump to Daniel's throat.

"Jack", he said softly. The man in the bed didn't move, didn't turn his head, but his fingers stilled. For a moment there was no sound in the room. It was as if time had frozen for a brief moment. Then Jack began to fold the sheets again, although he still didn't turn his head.

"Jack", Daniel repeated. He'd known this was going to be difficult but had expected anger. He hadn't expected to be ignored. "Jack, we've been looking for you for a long time."

He'd known they would. He'd known that they'd try and find him. Once they'd spoken with Hank or George they would figure out the truth and know he wasn't guilty. But he hadn't wanted to see them, had tried to prevent them from locating him. He should have known it was impossible. They were SG1 – they were pretty much invincible when they set their minds to something. Well, Daniel was here now so he'd have to deal with it. Hopefully he could get rid of him quickly and get on with his life. If he had any left – he kind of figured that whatever was wrong with him was fatal.

He refused to turn his head, refused to look at the archaeologist, the man who, at one time had been his best friend, but he knew he had to answer.

"Pull the short straw again, Daniel?" he replied softly. There was a small sound; one he recognized but refused to believe was real. Please don't tell him that she was here too.

"No. No straws this time Jack. This time all of us wanted to come. Teal'c couldn't make it but he made us promise to tell him as soon as you were found. He desperately wants to see you."

"Really? I'm surprised. I thought he hates traitors?"

"He does, but you see, that doesn't apply here. There are no traitors here – only a good, decent men who was betrayed by his closest friends." There was a pause but still Jack had not turned his head. His eyes were intent on the tree outside the window. He was carefully counting the number of leaves that had begun to turn yellow.

"We came to say how sorry we were Jack. We're not here to ask for your forgiveness, we just wanted you to know how terrible we feel for what we did. We were so wrong and there's no excuse for it. Please believe me that it didn't take long to realize we had it all wrong. None of us can even understand why we were so ready to believe you'd done something like that. We figured it out pretty quickly but by then you were gone. We've been searching for you for over six months."

"Did Landry tell you?"

"Landry? You mean tell us what really happened?" Jack nodded his head briefly, still staring out the window. "No, no one told us anything. No one was talking. We figured it out ourselves." Jack gave a soft, "hmph' of disbelief.

"Really Jack. You can even ask Landry himself or General Hammond. None of them said anything. Sam even went to the President to try and figure things out but he wouldn't tell us anything. Jack, they all thought we knew what really happened, but you see, Thor approached us and showed us something very different. He showed us a video of you actually murdering people and working with the Asgard to kidnap humans with the Ancient gene. It was only later that we discovered it wasn't Thor that came to us but a double. It was all a trick."

"And that's when you decided I wasn't guilty?"

"No, we knew before we had any proof. It was as if suddenly this fog lifted and we all could see clearly again. Like I said, I don't know why we were so ready to believe the worst. We'll never forgive ourselves and we don't expect you to forgive us, but we didn't want you to go on thinking that we still believed that of you."

"Okay", Jack spoke so softly Daniel could barely hear. "You've done your duty. Thank you for telling me. You can feel better now that you've apologized and set everything straight. Tell Teal'c not to bother to come. I'll take his apology as a given." The fingers had again stilled.

"Jack!"

"No Daniel, enough." Jack was again almost whispering. "You've done what you came to do. You've told me you were sorry, that's fine, I appreciate that. But you see, whether or not I forgive you isn't the issue. I can't ever trust you again. I would have sworn, before this happened, that there were no people in the world who I could trust more than you three. I was more sure of that than anything in this world. You destroyed that and it can never, ever be rebuilt." He stopped and took a deep and weary breath.

"You see, I can't do it anymore. I'm tired Daniel, so tired. I can't risk anymore – I've lost too much in my life. If I let you all back in I just risk losing you again the next time you don't believe me or have faith in me. I can't." his voice broke and he knew he was on the verge of losing it, something he didn't want to happen.

"So please, just go. I'll be fine. I have Molly and Chris – and I know George has my back. No, it's best if you just go and get on with your lives. Please, I want you to be happy – I really don't want you to suffer over this. Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." The fingers began to pleat and repleat the blankets. He couldn't hold on much longer. Something deep inside of him wanted to turn to his friend and hold out his arms. He wanted nothing more than to feel the love and companionship of his friends – but the fear that was also deep in his soul held him back.

"How can we be happy without you Sir?" Oh God, it was her voice. She was here. He let out a small sob – he couldn't take this. The headache was coming back and he was feeling sick.

"No, no, no, no." He turned on his side and pulled himself into a ball, trying to protect himself.

Sam looked at Daniel, shocked and horrified. They had known how hurt he was but never would they have imagined the condition in which they found him. This was a man practically destroyed by their lack of faith.

Daniel walked up and gently put his hand on Jack's arm. The General tried to jerk away but Daniel held on.

"We're going to be here for you Jack. You can't get rid of us that easily. We'll leave you now but we're going to be around to watch your six." Jack was vaguely surprised to hear Daniel use the military lingo. "You told us to go and be happy – well without you in our lives that will never happen. I know you're frightened to let us in, to trust us, but I promise, we will never, ever leave you behind again. You're a stubborn SOB Jack, but you know what, we've all learned at your knee and the rest of us are every bit as stubborn."

Daniel turned and walked to the door. "When you're feeling better we'll talk some more. We need to tell you a few more things. I'm afraid you've got your team back Jack – SG1 is alive and well – and we're gonna kick butt together." He gave a small nod to Sam and left.

She stood there for a minute, not sure whether to say anything or not. As much as all of them had hurt this man she knew that what she had done to him was the worst. She had betrayed, not only their friendship, but their love. She finally gathered her strength enough to speak.

"Jack, I'm so very, very sorry. I destroyed something wonderful, something that meant the world to me, to us. I can never expect you to forgive me but I needed you to know that I do love you with all my heart – I always have, even when I believed you were guilty. I think that's why I was so angry – I couldn't stop loving you even when I thought I should. Jack, you _are _my heart and there will never be anyone else." For a moment she wondered if he'd actually fallen asleep, he was so still. However, when she went to lay her hand on his shoulder the small spasm told her he was awake.

"I found your gift Jack." She put her hand up and again held the small pendant, her one connection to Jack during these long months. "I wear it around my neck and it will never leave me. You told me to wear it with your love. Well, I can't expect you to still feel that love for me, not after what I did, but I want you to know I do wear it with love – with all of my love."

She pulled her hand away and walked to the door. "We're here for you always Jack, please believe that." And with that she turned and exited the room.

After a few moments, when he was sure they were gone, he rolled over and lay on his back, his arm covering his eyes. He felt a surge of despair filling his heart and his soul. With another sob he lowered his arm and allowed the tears to fall freely down his face. He wanted to feel their hands touching him again. He wanted to believe their words but he couldn't. No, he could never again allow himself to believe.


	10. Immovable Object

Sam walked out of the room to the waiting room. Weak from emotion and heartache she sat in one of the chairs and bowed her head in her hands. Slowly the tears began to form and soon were running unchecked down her face.

"Sam?" Daniel's soft voice intruded on her grief. "Sam." A hand reached out and touched her shoulder. "It'll be okay, I promise. We'll get through to him."

"I don't think so Daniel. I think he's made up his mind. Maybe we were right – maybe we should have just let him be. It looks like he's found a family in Molly and Christopher. I don't think he needs us."

"Come on Sam. You know that's not true at all. Of course he needs us. You saw him in there. He couldn't even look at us."

"That's what I mean. He hates us so much he couldn't look at us."

"Oh Sam! You know Jack better than that. If he hated us, or was just angry, he would have faced us full on. He would have spit in our eye – or he would have been sarcastic and made all sorts of totally inappropriate jokes. He didn't look at us because he was scared."

Sam finally looked up at that. "Scared? Why would he be scared Daniel? No, he was angry, not scared."

Daniel sat down then reached over and pulled Sam around until she was facing him. "No, you're wrong Sam. He couldn't look at us because he was scared – scared he couldn't resist and that he'd end up forgiving us. He wanted to desperately – but he's also frightened that we'll hurt him again. He knew he couldn't look at us, it would have been too difficult to send us away."

Sam looked at him blankly, and then a small window of hope began to open in her heart. She thought back on their conversation with Jack and then she knew, just as she had known that Jack wasn't guilty, that what her friend was saying was true. Of course, that was O'Neill. He was afraid, afraid that they'd get by his defenses and he would then be vulnerable again. Oh Jack, why do you do this to yourself?

She sniffed and Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out a Kleenex. As she wiped her nose and face she asked, "What do we do now?"

"Well, we go see Molly and Christopher and enlist them in our campaign to get the stubborn SOB to open up and let us back in."

She giggled, a rather watery one, but a giggle nevertheless. "Do you think we can really do it?"

"Hey, we're SG1 right? Once Teal'c gets here Jack'll have no choice. He'll never be able to resist all three of us plus an old lady and a little boy. No one, especially Jack O'Neill, is _that_ tough. You know, I think if we'd sent Molly and Christopher through the Gate we would have solved the Goa'uld problem a long time ago!"

She giggled again. "Can't you just see Molly hitting Apophis with an umbrella and telling him that he needs to learn some manners!" Suddenly, the two friends were laughing, a well-needed emotional release.

"Come on, let's go and see Molly."

"I just hope Jack is okay. What if what's wrong with him is serious?"

"If they don't find anything soon we'll contact General Hammond and have him taken back to the Academy hospital. We can even ask Thor – as soon as we find him – to check him out. He can probably deal with whatever is wrong."

They were worried about both their friends, the one just found and the one just lost. Hopefully things were going to get better soon!

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The doctor came in to see Jack a couple of hours after his former teammates had left. For a while the headache had grown so bad he'd almost called for a nurse, but eventually the pain had subsided and he'd managed to sleep. He was again trying not to think about what had happened. Avoidance had become the norm.

"So Mr. Connor." The doctor walked over to the bed, followed by nurse Johansson. She had taken a personal interest in this patient, especially after she realized that Molly and Chris had fallen so hard for their houseguest.

"We've got your tests back." Jack looked up at him, a small niggle of worry creeping up his spine.

"Yes?" He pulled himself into a sitting position, not wanting to be lying down for the news.

"Well, I'm happy to tell you that there's no evidence of a tumor. We also see no evidence of an aneurism anywhere." Jack could feel himself relax – which immediately surprised him. It suddenly hit him that he really didn't want to die. In fact, he _really, really_ didn't want to die.

"If fact, the only thing we can find that's at all unusual is there seems to be an increase of blood flow to your brain. I'm afraid I've never seen anything quite like it. I expect the pain is caused by this – it's similar in some ways to migraine headaches." The doctor stopped so Jack asked.

"So, what does that mean?"

"I'm afraid I don't really know. What I'd like to do is have you transferred to Calgary or Vancouver to a bigger hospital for more tests. We're pretty small here and don't really have the facilities to do anything more. I can have one of the nurses arrange for your transfer."

"Is there any immediate danger?" Jack wanted to know.

"I don't believe so. I can give you something to help with the pain but I'm afraid it will only take the edge off. I wouldn't suggest you wait to long to get checked out, however."

"Okay, thanks Doc. I'll look into it. But there's no problem with me checking out?"

"No, as long as you don't drive yourself. How's your leg doing?"

In fact Jack's leg was itching something fierce but there was no pain at all. He had this sneaking suspicion that it had healed. The various bruises and cuts and scrapes were gone – much quicker than normal. He debated whether or not to say anything to the doctor but then worried that there would be too many questions. He really didn't know what the hell was going on but figured it was time to go check with the SGC. Something was definitely happening to him that wasn't normal.

"It's fine Doc."

"Okay then, the nurse will bring you the forms and you can get going. If you change your mind let us know and we'll arrange to set up tests at one of the bigger hospitals."

After the doctor had left Jack leaned back. Everything had happened so fast that he was feeling confused and unsure of himself – not a feeling he liked. He still didn't want to think about Daniel, and _really_ didn't want to think about Sam, so instead he concentrated on what was happening to him.

He thought back to what had occurred last night with Molly. He really didn't remember too much but had known that she was dying. _Something _had happened, he just wished he could figure out what it was. He didn't think the Asgard were involved but didn't know what else it could be. Then there were his physical symptoms – he so wished Janet was alive. He needed to talk to someone.

After the nurse had come in and given him the papers to sign he'd arranged for a cab to pick him up. He wanted to head back and see Molly and Christopher. He needed some warmth and comfort and knew they would provide it.

As he hobbled down the hall one thing kept going around and around in his mind and that was Sam saying she loved him. He also wondered how she'd found his necklace. Still, determined to not let her back into his life, he refused to admit to the small bit of yearning and hope that had started to sneak its way into his heart.

He was strong! He had hardened his heart and would not succumb. As he got into the cab he knew he was in for the fight of his life!

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Here we are. This must be her house." Daniel and Sam arrived at the small white house, following the GPS to the address Molly had given them.

"Well, here goes everything", Daniel muttered as he got out of the car.

They waited a few minutes until finally the door opened and Molly stood there.

"Well hello! Come in, come in – don't just stand there." She ushered them into her small house and into the living room.

"I'm sure you must both be hungry. I'm just finishing up making some lunch and then you can join me."

"Oh, we don't want to put you out." Sam was quick to interject.

"Put me out? Piffle! I like cooking for people. I'm Ukrainian and we know that the best thing to mend a broken heart is a good plate of perogies and holubchi! You just sit here and lunch will be right out."

"I can see why Jack loves her. He must be in heaven here." Daniel looked over and grinned at Sam, trying to cheer her up.

"I hope she doesn't go to too much work. I'd hate her to get overtired!"

"Oh, I think she loves this Sam. I expect she thrives on having people around." Just then they could hear small footsteps running down the hall and a little body suddenly appeared in the living room. He stopped quickly, suddenly very shy.

"Why hello there Christopher!" Daniel spoke to the little boy. "You Grandma has invited us for lunch."

"Did she tell you she made perogies? They're my favorite, especially with lots of sour cream and bacon. Jack says they're the best ever – and that aliens can't eat them. He said the best way to see if someone is an alien is to offer them Grandma's perogies – if they eat them and die they're not from earth."

Daniel turned and grinned again. "See what I told you. I knew Jack would love it."

"Do you like perogies?" Chris frowned at Daniel. What if Jack's friend was an alien? Maybe he was just pretending.

"Uh, I love them, so does Sam." Chris turned to Sam and then ran over and threw his arms around her.

"Hi!"

"Hello", she said returning his hug and looking surprised. "It's nice to see you again. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Jack said he's okay and he'll come home as soon as he can. He promised he'd go with me to do my presentation."

"The one with the aliens?"

"Yes, you want to see it?"

"Of course." So, without further ado, Chris dragged the two adults down to the basement. This time even Sam had to laugh. Although the boy had made a lot of it she could definitely see a 'Jack O'Neill' touch. She even noticed that one of the humans looked like Homer Simpson!

"That's great Chris. What a wonderful job!"

"Mmmm hmmm. Jack and me built it together."

"I can see that. You think Jack's pretty special, don't you?" she asked, knowing that another child had fallen for that special O'Neill 'something' that drew innocence and goodness to him like a magnet.

"Yeah. He's my best friend. He's funny but he's also sad."

As Sam walked back upstairs, the little boy's hand held in hers, she turned and looked at him. "Why do you think he's sad?"

"Sometimes he gets a funny look in his eyes. It's like I feel when I'm missing my Mommy and Daddy. He told me about his little boy, and he told me he still cries about him, but it's not just that. There's something else. Grandma and me are … determined" he stumbled over the word – it was obviously something he'd heard from Molly, "determined to make him feel better. Grandma said you'd help."

"She did?" Sam glanced swiftly over toward Daniel who simply gave her an innocent smile in return. Sam couldn't help but think of the little boy's words. That Jack was sad wasn't surprising – they knew this whole thing had been crushing for him – what surprised her was that the little boy had picked up on it. Also, the fact that Jack had shared something about his son, and the fact that he 'cried' – was astounding. Sam didn't remember him volunteering anything about Charlie except for that one time during the time loop episode.

"Yeah, she said you're 'what's missing'. What does that mean Sam?"

"Now enough young man", Molly appeared, looking flustered. She obviously hadn't expected her grandson to 'spill the beans'. "Go wash your hands and then it's time to eat."

"Yay, perogies!" could be heard as the little boy ran to the bathroom.

"I guess he loves your perogies", smiled Sam, to the older woman.

"Oh, that he does. The last time I fixed them he and Jack had a contest to see who could eat the most." She paused. "Jack won. I think he felt pretty sick to his stomach for a while although he kept giving me this naughty grin! I didn't mind too much. I've really had to fatten him up. He was so skinny when I first brought him home."

As they all sat at the table and ate the fantastic – and calorie laden – food, Sam and Daniel both wondered how they could approach the subject of Jack. They needn't have worried. As soon as the last dish was cleared Molly sat down and began to speak.

"How did things go in the hospital?" The looked at her and both of them sighed.

"Not too well. He isn't interested in having anything to do with us", Daniel replied. Sam looked down, unable to even speak.

"Are you surprised?" asked Molly gently.

"No, not at all. It's exactly what we expected. We had thought to tell him we were sorry and then leave him be. We knew he wouldn't want to see us and we felt we owed him that much."

"Do you still feel that way?"

"No!" Sam spoke for the first time. "No", she said again, more gently this time. "He needs us and we can't leave him."

"Good! I was worried for a minute that you'd both get all 'self-sacrificing' or something stupid like that. No, Jack needs a good kick in the keister to realize that he needs his friends and his …" but here she stopped, knowing when not to interfere. "The man doesn't know what's best for him but we'll teach him!"

For the first time, in a long time, Sam and Daniel both had a sense of real hope. Looking at this tiny little woman they knew that Jack might just have met his match. When they glanced over at Chris, chomping on a cookie, they were sure of it!

Just then Sam's phone gave a beep. Puzzled she reached down and looked at it.

"There's a text message", she said, wondering who in the world would be sending her a text. She looked at it and then showed it to Daniel. It simply read: call SGC landline.

"Why in the world?" Daniel asked, puzzled as well by the message.

"Security. Cell's are too easy to trace and the SGC has about the most secure phone system in the world." She looked over at Molly. "May I use your phone for an important call?"

"Of course dear." Molly watched as Sam went into the other room and then turned back to Daniel. "So, she loves him does she?" He almost choked on his coffee.

"Uh …" he didn't quite know what to say.

"Of course she does. It's written all over her. And he's probably just as in love with her, isn't he?" She looked at Daniel with an expression which reminded him eerily of various Goa'uld interrogation techniques. Within seconds he'd spilled everything.

"Yeah – they've been in love for years but never did anything about it. Regulations" he said when she seemed confused. "Air Force. She served under him so they couldn't have a relationship. But last year they both moved on and I think were starting to see if things would change. That's when this whole thing happened."

"What happened exactly?"

"I wish I could tell you Molly, but it's highly classified. Jack is pretty important and was involved in some very high level activities."

"Aliens!" Daniel whipped his head towards Chris. Surely Jack wouldn't have said anything. "I think he was catching aliens. Big, scary, man-eating ones. Isn't that right Dr. Jackson?"

"Ah …" Sam, where are you?

"Did you catch aliens too? I bet if you were on Jack's team that all of you caught aliens together. Were you ever tortured?" Daniel was surprised at this, not used to being around little boys. He glanced over at Molly but she looked complacent so he guessed it was okay.

Fortunately Chris seemed more concerned about letting his imagination run riot than about hearing Daniel's answers. He ended up just listening as the boy went on to describe all the methods that aliens could 'torture' humans. Fortunately, his age and innocence meant that they were more yucky than truly horrible.

Daniel especially liked the one where the aliens 'slimed' people. He could actually remember a few episodes just like that. He almost laughed when he heard about the 'snake-pit'. He could see why staying with Molly and Chris had been so good for Jack. This child would have been just what he needed.

"Is Jack going to marry Sam?" The quiet that ensued had Daniel realizing that the subject had changed. He looked up to see that Sam had walked in just at that moment and was looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Enough now Christopher. You go wash up and go outside and play for awhile. You need some fresh air."

"What about Jack? When are we going to hear from him?" He was starting to fret again.

"I'm sure it will be soon. I'll call you in if I hear anything. Now just get going!"

Once Chris had left Molly turned to her guests. "I'm sorry about that. Jack always liked to listen to him chatter but I guess I should be more careful and not let him talk so much."

"No, don't do that Molly. He's a charming little boy and it's lovely to hear him. I'm sure Jack loved him."

"Oh, they get along like a house on fire. They're so much alike it's uncanny. It's almost like Christopher is a little 'mini-Jack'. I know it's been good for both of them. They were both grieving terribly and they've been able to bring back a little joy in each other's life."

When she realized that her words had made her guests feel guilty she 'tut-tutted'. "Now don't go feeling sorry for yourself! We have a plan to put together and I need you both with me. We're gonna make sure Jack leaves here much happier than when he arrived – and you too. Now you go on and sit in the living room. I'm just going to put a few things away and I'll be right in."

As they made their way to the other room Daniel spoke quietly, "what was that?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean the call? That was Teal'c – or at least the message came from him, but through the SGC. I spoke with Walter and let him know where we are. Teal'c is coming to join us and is bringing Paul Davis with him."

"Paul? Great, he'll be good to have. Any other word?"

"No, just that nobody's heard from Thor so we think they may have gotten to him. Grayson flew to Vancouver but is staying put for now. They think that the Asgard have figured out Jack is in BC but aren't sure where."

"You think it's safe for Teal'c to come?"

"I hope so. They're flying to Pocotello and then driving up. I guess the President has contacted the Prime Minister and the Canadian government is standing by. If anything happens he'll contact the local RCMP and ask them to give us a hand."

"I don't know what they can do against the Asgard, unless they ride them down with their horses!"

"Daniel! They don't ride horses anymore, except for tourists! They probably can't do much to the Asgard, but they might be able to help with Grayson and his men. It seems he brought two 'aids' with him. I expect they're involved in this somehow."

"Well, it'll be good to have Teal'c here and Paul both. I feel like things may just be coming together."

"Yes. We've certainly succeeded with much less going for us!"

"All right!" Molly came in and sat down, a determined look on her face. "Let's figure out how to get that stubborn Irishman to realize what's good for him!" Sam and Daniel both grinned. Yup – the irresistible force was about to meet the immovable object!


	11. Evil Aliens

_**I apologize in advance – this chapter has whump – lot's of really icky, yucky whump. If you don't like it please, don't read (it truly is yucky!). **_

When the cab pulled up to the house Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He was home. He actually surprised himself by that thought. When had he begun to think of this little house as home? He smiled. It was when he realized how important both Molly and Chris had become to him. They provided the love and warmth he had missed since he'd lost his friends.

He hobbled up to the house, wondering if he should just begin walking on the cast. No, better not, he decided. Molly would whup him good!

He opened the door and hadn't gone more than a couple of steps when he heard a shout and a small body hurled itself towards him. He braced himself for the expected collision but Chris was able to stop in time.

"JACK! Jack's home everybody!" He carefully but enthusiastically threw his arms around Jack, unable to reach more than his waist. "I'm so glad you're back", the little boy sniffed, overcome by happiness.

"I'm glad to be back." He hugged the boy in return and had a bit of a problem of his own in keeping the emotions in. He was becoming much to prone to tears lately – totally _**not**_ conduct befitting a General!

"GRANDMA! Jack's back!" he yelled, in case his grandmother was totally deaf and hadn't heard the first shout.

"I see Christopher – and I certainly hear you." Molly walked out from the living room and smiled at the tall man. "So, did they let you out or did you sneak away without permission?"

Jack gave a saucy grin. "Me Molly? Would I ever do such a thing?"

"Hah, you would and we both know it. I always said you're a sneaky, obstinate devil so nothing would surprise me!"

"Oh Molly. I'm cut to the quick! Of course they let me out. I did not sneak off – I knew that if I did you would take after me with that wooden spoon of yours."

"You have that right, _**General O'Neill!**_"

Oops – cat was out of the bag. Looking slightly shamefaced he spoke. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to trick you – I just needed to get away from things for awhile and unfortunately, because of my former position, it's impossible to do under my real name. I'm sorry for not telling you the truth."

The old lady looked at him seriously for a minute, seeing much deeper into his soul than he was comfortable with. "Well, be that as it may, you'd better not be hiding anything else from me."

He knew he should just smile and promise but he didn't want to abuse her trust, not after all she'd done for him.

"Molly, I'll never lie to you but there are some things I can't tell you – some highly classified things. Don't think it's that I don't trust you – I just can't – it's a matter of security."

"Like the fact that you fight aliens?" Chris piped in.

"Ah, yeah, like that." Jack answered, knowing the little boy was simply using his imagination and had no real idea of what Jack had spent the last eight or nine years doing.

"See, I told you Grandma. He does fight aliens. Big mean ones, right?"

"I think that's enough of that young man. Jack, you'd better sit down before you fall down. What did they say at the hospital?" She looked at him with a worried frown.

"Oh, nothing much. The doctor says its something like migraines." Well, that was sort of the truth, he wasn't lying. He didn't want to say anything about the doc's recommendations, at least not yet.

"Well, that sounds not too bad. I hope he gave you something for the pain?"

He had but Jack really didn't want to take anything. It made him feel too groggy.

He turned to head into the living room, not feeling like he was ready to go back to bed, when a small sound stopped him. He turned and looked at Molly who had a very guilty expression on her face.

"What is it Molly?" he asked.

"Nothing." She didn't say anything more so he turned back into the living room. He came to a sudden stop.

"What are you doing here?" God, he didn't need this. Why in hell were they in Molly's living room?

"I invited them over Jack. They said they were your friends." He glared at Daniel. How dare he lie to get into Molly's good books?

"Were. Were my friends", he said softly.

"What's that Jack? You'll have to speak louder if you want an old woman to hear you. Now you just sit down and I'll bring you some tea and cookies."

He turned angrily, intending to go to his room, but Molly was standing there – all four foot something of her. He would have had to knock her over to get past so instead he glared.

"No use giving me the evil eye. I haven't reached the age of 81 without knowing when someone is acting silly. You just go and sit right down. You need to rest." She reached out and took a hold of his crutches. For a moment he refused to relinquish them, staring at her coldly. When she didn't blink he released his hold and let her take them. That forced him to turn and hop the couple of steps to the big armchair. He sat down and leaned back, closing his eyes to block out the site of his 'former' friends.

"Did you know that Daniel believes in aliens too Jack?" A little body pressed up against his leg. He was forced to open his eyes and look at Chris who was smiling cheerfully. "I like Daniel, but not as much as I like you." Jack reached out and touched the boy on the arm, giving him a small smile.

Chris leaned in close and whispered, "I really like Sam. She's pretty and she's nice." He stood back and looked expectantly at Jack, waiting for him to comment.

"Uh, yeah", was all he said. Chris looked disappointed so tried again. "Don't you like Sam, Jack? Don't you think she's awfully pretty?"

"Yeah, yeah she's pretty." He hoped the boy wouldn't catch on to the fact that he'd only answered the last question. From the soft sound from the couch he knew Sam had caught it.

"Why don't you marry her?" The silence that followed this was so thick it could have stopped a train.

"Chris. I think Jack's tired." Sam's soft voice broke the silence. "Why don't you let him rest now?" Chris looked mulish, not understanding why the adults were behaving so strangely. He loved Jack and wanted only good things for him and, in his young mind, Sam was the best.

"Jack", Chris tugged on his leg, ignoring Sam. "Don't you like Sam? You think she's pretty so you should marry her."

He knew he should just let it go but for some reason this was the last straw! "Enough!" Jack practically shouted at the boy. "Stop it Chris. It's none of your business. Just leave me alone!" Jack put his head in his hands, overwhelmed with the presence of his teammates and then pushed beyond endurance by the innocent words of a young boy.

Chris stared for a moment and then his face crumpled. With a sob he turned and ran from the room. A few seconds later they heard a 'slam'.

"You didn't need to do that Jack. He doesn't understand." Daniel spoke quietly but directly.

"God, I know. I know. What are you doing here? Why did you come?" For the first time he looked up at the two who had been sitting so quietly on the couch.

"Molly invited us. We didn't know you'd be back from the hospital so soon."

"So, you thought you'd sneak around behind my back?"

"Come on, you know us better than that. We just didn't want to upset you anymore than we have."

Jack went to answer when suddenly there was a loud crash followed by a scream.

"Oh God!" Jack stood up, realizing that it was Chris who had screamed. He couldn't find his crutches. Where were they? Finally he simply turned and ran, as fast as he could, out of the room, followed closely by Daniel and Sam.

They saw Molly heading downstairs, as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Christopher!" she screamed. "What have you done?" She rushed over and grabbed the little boy who was lying on the floor, blood all over him.

"NOOOOOO!" a sob tore from Jack's throat. "No, please God, no!" The sight was familiar – a young boy, covered in blood. Why? He rushed over, not noticing the broken pieces of the space project lying on the floor. Kneeling beside Molly, who was clutching the boy and rocking madly, he tried to see what was wrong. All he could see was blood. He felt himself grown dizzy and then weak, but was able to reach out to the boy.

"Molly." He gasped. "Molly, let … me." He reached out and gently took the boy from her arms. She tried to resist at first but then something stopped her. She watched as Jack held him, tears streaming down his face. He kept repeating, "not again, not again".

Daniel and Sam looked on in horror, not understanding what had happened. "I'll go call 911, Daniel said and ran up the stairs. Sam tried to move closer but could see nothing as Jack held fiercely on to the young boy.

"Sir, let me look." He shook his head, still muttering. "No, he's gone, he's gone."

"Please General, let me take a look. Maybe I can help." She tried to see what was wrong and then noticed a sharp piece of wood sticking out of the young boy's chest. Looking around she realized that somehow the table had broken. He must have slipped and fallen and impaled himself on the piece of wood. It looked bad – she hoped that the ambulance got here soon.

As Jack sat, holding the boy, a strange light began to appear. Sam noticed it first but wondered if it was simply her imagination, but then she saw that Molly, who sat beside Jack, also noticed it. She turned frantically to Sam, wondering what was happening. All she could do was shrug and hold up her hands, not understanding what was happening.

Soon, the light had enveloped both the child and the man. It grew so bright that the two women in the room could barely look. Sam felt her heart begin to beat quickly. She knew what they were seeing was not of this world.

Suddenly, without warning, the light stopped and Jack fell to the ground, Chris still held tightly to him. Shaking, Sam walked closer and knelt down. Placing her hand against Chris' neck she was relieved to feel a strong, steady pulse. She then carefully pulled his shirt over to check the wound. She was not surprised to see that it was gone, the wooden piece lying on the floor beside the two.

Sure that Chris was okay she turned her attention to Jack. He was alive, thank God, but his pulse was not so strong or so steady. He looked pale and deeply unconscious.

"Is he okay?" Molly's very shaky voiced asked.

"Chris is fine. I'm worried about Jack. Here," she pulled the little boy gently from Jack's arms and handed him to Molly. As far as she could tell the boy was just sleeping. She then put her arms under Jack and lifted his torso so he was leaning against her. She held him closely, praying that he'd be okay but unsure of what to do.

"He saved me too." Molly was looking at Jack but speaking to Sam.

"What?" Sam looked at her curiously.

"Last night. I was dying and Jack saved me. Who is he?"

"He's Jack O'Neill – a Major General in the Air Force – we didn't lie about that. How this happened", she gestured towards Chris, "I don't know. I don't understand it." She turned back to Jack and was relieved to see the color start to come back into his face.

"Be okay Jack", she whispered, her mouth resting gently against his soft, grey hair.

"Grandma?" Chris' eyes were open and he was staring up at his grandmother. "What happened?"

"I don't know. You tell me?" Molly was still feeling very shaky – reeling from almost losing her only grandchild.

"I was mad. I came down and started to break the spaceship but the table broke. I don't know what happened then."

"Well, everything is okay now. Next time, sweetheart, just talk to us if you're angry, okay?"

"Okay." The boy turned and saw Jack in Sam's arms.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly. "What's wrong with Jack?" He pulled out of his grandmother's arms and scooted over to Jack. He tentatively put his hand out but then pulled it back, remembering that Jack was angry at him. He looked at Sam and started to cry.

"I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't mean to make Jack angry."

"Oh baby, he's not angry. Sometimes adults do silly things – he was just tired and I bet he still had a headache. He loves you so much, he could never stay mad."

"But what's wrong with him?"

"I think he's just tired. We were worried about you."

"Why?"

"We thought you'd hurt yourself." At these words Chris frowned, as if trying to remember something. He looked down at his shirt and noticed all the blood. It made him begin to cry again, frightened that something was wrong.

"T'sokay, Chris", a weak voice assured the boy. Jack had woken up.

"JACK!" The boy threw himself into Jack's arms, crying uncontrollably. Jack held on to him tightly, relieved beyond words. He was also aware that he was leaning up against Sam. He kept his attention focused on Chris, enjoying the closeness of this woman who had meant so much to him. He knew it wouldn't last, but for now he allowed himself to take pleasure in the security of her arms.

"Hey buddy. Don't go do something like that again, okay?" he said to the boy as he began to calm down. "You scared me. Next time I'm crabby just leave me alone for a bit and then I'll feel better. You've gotta know that I love you and would never stay mad for long. I'm sorry I shouted at you okay?"

"Okay Jack. I'm sorry I broke our spaceship." Jack glanced over at the mess on the floor. "Well, we'll just have to make a new one. The next one will be even better!"

"Yeah! And maybe we can make more aliens?" As he spoke Chris leaned back to look at Jack who grinned down at him. In that moment the four of them disappeared, in a flash of light, from the basement room.

"What the hell!" Jack struggled to sit up. Without thinking he reached down and helped Carter to her feet. Instantly in General mode he looked around. They were in some kind of small, windowless room. The walls looked as if they were made of metal. It looked familiar.

"Where are we?" Jack looked around, ignoring for a moment the shocked and panicked looks on the faces of two of his companions.

"It looks kind of like Thor's ship. Maybe he's transported us up?"

"Maybe, although he usually knows better than to do it when civilians are present."

"Jack?" A small worried voice interrupted him. Closing his eyes in frustration he turned to face Molly and Chris.

"What is this?" For the first time since he'd known her Molly appeared frightened and unsure. Not surprising really. Nothing like suddenly appearing somewhere totally different and not knowing how you got there.

"It's the alien ship Grandma!" Chris had gotten over his initial fear and now looked excited. As Jack looked at him he wished he could get rid of the bloody shirts both of them sported. He was still feeling incredibly shaky over what had just happened. It had brought back horrific memories, which he couldn't erase from his mind.

Well, he'd just have to put them aside! Right now he had to figure out what was going on. He was just thankful that Carter was with him!

"Don't be silly Christopher. You have to stop thinking so much about aliens. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this?" She faced Jack and Sam as if to say 'well come on, what's the logical explanation?'

The two officers looked at each other, wondering how to explain this. Before they'd come up with an answer a panel opened on one side of the room and a small grey alien walked in. Molly squeaked, her eyes huge in her face.

Jack felt a small body move up and press against his legs. He glanced down and saw that Chris looked terrified. He realized, at that moment, that to Chris these were the evil 'people eating aliens'. God, he should have known better. He held on to the boy and gave him a smile, mouthing 'it'll be alright – they don't really eat people'.

"So, to what do we owe this pleasure?" O'Neill directed his question to the alien. He didn't think he'd seen this Asgard before. He just hoped he/she was a friend of Thor's.

"Welcome O'Neill. I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you."

"Uh, pleasure's all yours. And who are you?"

"I am Angrboda."

"Angry Body? Ooh, I would have changed my name but hey, that's just me. I'm sure your parents thought it was nice."

"Cease", the Asgard spoke softly. "I do not have time for this. You will come with me."

"Who? Me?"

"Yes, you are here to help the Asgard."

"I am? I don't remember getting asked anytime recently."

"You are not being asked O'Neill. You have no choice. You will come with me."

"Mmmmm. Nope, don't think so." The panel opened again and another Asgard entered. "Holler, kill the boy."

"Hey! What are you doing? Don't touch him." He grabbed Chris and pulled him behind him.

"Fine then kill the old woman."

"Stop that! What the hell are you doing? What is this about?"

"I think I know Sir."

"What?"

"There is a faction of Asgard that believe that those with the Ancient gene are the solution to their degeneration problem. The plot – the thing you were involved in – was just a decoy. The intent was to get you alone and kidnap you. It was the other reason we came to see you - we wanted to warn you. Thor has been helping us try and find you."

Angrboda laughed. "Poor Thor. He was really not smart enough. Unfortunately he can't help you. He's my guest." She turned to O'Neill. "There is nothing you can do. If you don't cooperate I will simply kill your companions, one by one. You do not want that surely?"

"And what if I cooperate, what then?"

"Then I will let them go. Not right away, but as soon as we have what we need. They will not be harmed, I promise." She looked at him waiting for what she knew was coming.

"Okay, as long as you don't hurt them."

"I will not – but you have to cooperate fully. If you resist I will kill one of them."

"Okay, okay, I get your point. Let's get on with it then."

"Sir! Jack, don't. You can't go with her – they want to experiment on you."

"Hey, nothing that myriads of doctors haven't done over the years. I'll be okay. You just look after Molly and Chris, okay Carter? I'm relying on you, you know." He smiled at her, the first smile she'd received from him in a long while. She could feel tears form and lifted her hand to grasp her pendant. He followed her hand with his eyes and appeared startled to see that she was wearing it. He remembered that she had told him about it in the hospital, but seeing it made it real. He lifted his eyes to her and gave her another smile, this one filled with regret and longing.

"Jack, don't go." The little boy cried and tried to grab Jack's legs. He reached down and pulled the little boy off of him. Squatting down he spoke to him. "I want you to look after Sam and your Grandma for me. Can you do that Chris?" The little boy nodded but his face crumpled. "You be strong and everything will be fine."

He looked over at Molly. "Just let Carter here look after you. She knows what she's doing and she'll keep you safe."

"Oh Jack, what's all this about?" Molly was reeling from all that had happened. This was too much for her 81-year-old heart.

"Sam'll explain Molly. It's a long, involved story."

"So you really were fighting aliens?", she sniffed.

"Yeah, we really were fighting aliens."

"Enough O'Neill. It is time for you to come with me. Holler, take the prisoners and put them in with Thor. I'm sure he'll enjoy their company - he prefers humans to his own kind!"

Jack walked out the room followed, at a safe distance, by Angrboda. She knew his reputation well enough to know she had to be careful.

"If you attempt to hurt me or resist Holler will know instantly and has been instructed to kill one of your friends."

"Okay, already. I've already said I'll cooperate." As he finished speaking they arrived in what was obviously a lab or an operating theatre. Whatever it was it gave Jack the creeps.

Angrboda stepped behind a consol fitted with many controls. Over to the side Jack could see a table filled with what looked like surgical instruments. He began to feel sick.

"You will remove your clothes." Studying the panel in front of her she spoke without looking at Jack. She reached over and put some kind of bracelet around her arm.

"Uh, is that necessary? It's a little chilly in here."

"You will cooperate." The words were said softly but with menace. Jack could feel a chill run up his spine and it wasn't from the cold in the room. Trying not to let his fear show he slowly began to unbutton his shirt. At least he'd get rid of it, covered in Chris' blood as it was.

He'd stripped down to his boxers, hoping that Angry would leave him the dignity of keeping them on.

"Remove everything."

Okay, so that wasn't going to happen. He really shouldn't let it bother him. He figured the Asgard really didn't care – heck they walked around naked all the time. Yeah, but they didn't have anything to hide, a small voice in the back of Jack's head answered.

"You will get on the table." Jack looked over at the metal table. It looked very cold and very creepy, especially with the equipment surrounding it. He slowly walked over and sat down, the cold of the metal very uncomfortable on his naked skin.

"Lie down." Angrboda seemed to be finished with whatever she had been doing. She walked over towards Jack. "I said lie down." Boy, she certainly wasn't chatty, he thought as he leaned back. Now his whole body was in touch with the table. Definitely not comfortable.

The Asgard pulled down a machine, which looked like some kind of metal helmet on a long, moveable arm. She brought it down until it covered his head, although it left his face free. Next, she touched a control on her 'bracelet' and metal arms came out and circled his ankles, wrist and waist. He was completely and effectively immobilized.

She walked to the head of the table and spoke to him. "Unfortunately, this will hurt. There is no help for it as I need you to stay awake and conscious. Please know that I do not wish to do this but it is necessary." For some reason her clinical detachment and the words she spoke frightened him much more than if she had shown anger or hatred.

Suddenly, Jack could feel the helmet begin to tighten on his head. At first, it was just uncomfortable. Then something began cutting into his scalp. Finally he realized that the machine was sending things right into his brain. The pain spiked and he started to scream but Angrboda turned a dial on her wrist and the scream shut off suddenly. Try as he might no sound now came from his throat.

"I am now in control of your body's functions. Do not fight it – there is nothing you can do." For the next few minutes she adjusted her wrist controls and he found his body responding in different ways. He was completely unable to prevent or stop what was happening. It reminded him of when Kanan had taken over his body.

One touch and he started to blink rapidly, without stopping. Next, he was yawning widely. His fingers and then his toes started to move, at first randomly and then in patterns. Another adjustment on the controls and he stopped breathing. He began to panic but after 30 or 40 seconds she touched her wrist and he was able to breath again.

The last, and most humiliating response was when he felt wetness on his legs. She had made him urinate on himself. He could feel the anger and fear build inside him. What the hell kind of person – or Asgard – would do this in the name of science?

"There, I think that is all of that for now. You see O'Neill, I am able to map your brain with this", she pointed at the helmet and the controller. "It is very interesting and will help us understand more about how the Ancient gene is affecting you." She sounded like one of his professors back in university. If it wasn't for the fact that he was being tortured he could have assumed this was a simple science lesson.

She continued to speak. "You must have realized something was happening to you? We were finally able to locate your exact position when you used your Ancient powers again. It is a good thing we found you when we did or you would have died."

As she was talking she began to gather some of the instruments by the table, picking one up and then laying it down. It was as if she were trying to find the best one for her next task.

"You see, when you helped us out with our little 'problem' a few months ago we made sure that we kept you for a while and reactivated the gene. There was also quite a bit of the residual download from a few years ago. You did not know it was there?" This she said as if Jack had been able to ask questions. "Yes, we knew. Thor was able to mask it so it wouldn't hurt you but there was much still present. Not only do we hope to use your DNA, we also hope that the knowledge you possess will aid us."

"As I said, we activated the gene but we thought we'd retrieve you very soon afterward. We did not expect you to disappear. You see, we have to adjust things so you do not suffer and 'overload' and die. Once we have done that you will be fine for awhile and will be able to access both the knowledge and the power of the Ancients. You have already used the healing power – at least that is what it looked like from the blood on your shirt."

"It is unfortunate that we will not be able to see your full potential. It is too dangerous however. We do not know what power you will develop. No, I'm afraid you will not live that long. We will have your DNA and your brain which we will use to download the information without worrying about you striking back at us."

As he lay there listening to this Asgard he thought that this is what it must have been like for prisoners in Nazi Germany. He was going to be dissected for the good of the Asgard race. He was nothing but a lab rat. Although his body no longer responded to his commands he could feel the terror build. This was more frightening than anything he'd gone through in his life. He was absolutely helpless with no chance of rescue.

"So, shall we continue? We will do more of this later." She reached over and touched him with her long thin fingers. "You have such interesting bodies. One day the Asgard will again be like you with strong bodies – but our minds will be stronger." As she continued to touch and stroke him he could feel the nausea grow at the actions of this sick and perverted alien.

Angrboda stepped back from the table and picked up a long thin instrument. It looked like a simple metal rod, about the size of a car antenna. It looked quite innocuous really. Jack expected it wasn't.

She drew it down the center of his chest – it was cold and almost tickled. Okay, not too bad, he thought. Just then she lifted her arm and pressed something on the end of the rod. It began to glow. This time she put it back on his chest. At first it felt warm. Then, as she drew it down his chest it began to burn. A couple of seconds later the feeling became one of incredible agony. He tried to arch his back or to scream but his body was still not in his control. He wanted nothing more that to writhe in agony but even that was denied him. The only thing he could do was move his eyes – he looked everywhere but down at his body.

She lowered the rod again and he desperately tried to move, to pull away, but still to no avail. This time she drew it across his chest, directly below his nipples. The agony increased but there was nothing he could do but lay there, wishing he would lose consciousness. She lowered the rod one last time, this final time drawing it across his lower abdomen, just above his groin.

The pain was so all consuming that he felt he was going to go mad. He could tell she was speaking but he was unable to comprehend what she was saying. She adjusted something on her wrist and the pain lessened, just enough so that he could hear her and understand.

"Do not hope for release. The controls will keep you from losing consciousness. I need to see how your brain responds to pain. I also need to take samples." He didn't know what she meant but she turned and took some kind of long needle and turned back towards him. Although frightened and not wanting to look he couldn't help himself. He looked down, with his eyes. What he saw made him want to die. The rod had been like a knife and had cut him open. He could now see his organs, the skin and muscle pulled back. Jack knew he was in hell.

Sam, Molly and Chris had been taken to another room and had been instructed to enter. The panel door closed quickly behind them.

"Colonel Carter!"

"Thor! It's good to see you – although I'd prefer it to be somewhere else."

"I too. I regret that I allowed myself to be captured by Angrboda."

"Me too Thor. Uh, I'd like to introduce you to two friends. This is Molly and this is Chris."

"Greetings. I am Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Molly stared at the little alien, unsure of how to respond. This was totally out of her experience.

"Do you eat people?" A small voice floated out from behind Molly. Thor glanced down, surprised that there was actually a human shorter than he was. He quickly realized this was a human child.

"No, I do not eat flesh of any kind."

"Good. Jack said you don't but I had to make sure."

"Are you speaking of Jack O'Neill?" Thor asked.

"Yes, he's my special friend." Chris spoke belligerently, as if this alien was a threat to his Jack.

"I am glad. I too am a friend of O'Neill."

"Really? Are you going to save him then? He was taken by the nasty alien." Thor turned quickly and looked at Carter.

"Does Angrboda have O'Neill?"

"Yes, she took all of us. She's got him to cooperate with something by threatening us."

"Oh no." Thor looked distressed. He started to pace in the small cell.

"What is it Thor?" Sam was extremely worried. She had a very bad feeling about this.

"She plans to experiment on O'Neill."

"That's what she said. What's she going to do?"

"She is going to kill him, Colonel Carter. She is going to kill him."


	12. All For One

Daniel was frantic when he returned to the basement and everyone was gone. He knew that they must have been beamed up by the Asgard – the question was which one!

He tried to contact Thor with the communicator but there was no answer. He figured that that meant it was the _wrong_ Asgard who had taken everyone.

He heard sirens in the distance and decided that he'd better get out of here really quickly. There were going to be lots of questions if the police came in and saw all the blood and broken pieces on the floor but no wounded person.

Rushing up the stairs he quickly got in his car and was off before the ambulance had arrived. He hoped that they'd think it was simply a prank call. Once he'd driven a couple of blocks he pulled over and stopped to try and decide what to do.

Teal'c and Paul Davis were on their way. They'd avoided contacting them directly so as not to give away their location but it looked like that didn't matter anymore. With a slight bit of hesitation Daniel pulled out his cell and called Teal'c.

"Hello."

"Teal'c, it's me Daniel." He spent the next few minutes explaining the situation and then gave instructions as to where to meet.

"There's a Tim Horton's just off the highway as you enter Penticton. I'll wait for you there."

It was a little over an hour before they arrived and by that time Daniel was extremely high on double-doubles*.

"I'm glad you guys are here. I didn't know what to do."

Teal'c and Davis squeezed into the chairs across from Daniel.

"I just spoke to General Hammond", Davis said quietly. "It appears as if Grayson and his aids are on their way here. The RCMP are tracking them for us so I think all we can do is keep an eye on them. Maybe they'll lead us to Jack and the others."

"I wonder why they were not taken aboard the ship." Teal'c also spoke softly as they were in a public place.

"Maybe he's no longer working with the Asgard. If they already got what they wanted they might not need him any longer."

"If that's the case, how would he know to come here?"

Everyone was silent, not sure what role Grayson was playing or where their comrades could be.

"There's no evidence of either Asgard ship?", Daniel asked Davis.

"No, although we're still looking. Their shields are just too good. We may never find them."

The three men sat silently, waiting to hear of the arrival of the Senator – and each deep in his own thoughts.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"NO! I won't let the alien kill Jack, I won't!" shouted Chris. Again he was on the verge of tears. He started to sob and ran to his grandmother, looking for some comfort.

"I am sorry Colonel Carter. I did not wish to frighten the boy." Thor apologized, looking distressed. If he'd only known how he'd frightened her as well!

"Any ideas of what we can do Thor?" Carter asked. She looked over at Molly and Chris and she could see they looked both shocked and scared.

"I have been unable to leave this room. I am sorry. I do not know what to do."

Sam felt hopeless. The longer they stayed here the worse things were for Jack, she was sure. She didn't even want to imagine what was happening to him although she felt she needed some information to know how much time they had and what they were up against.

"Do you know what these 'experiments' entail exactly?" she asked the Asgard.

"I know only that she wants to check his brain activity and take samples of his DNA. I do not know how she plans to do that. Angrboda is not a geneticist – she is a chemist – so I do not know how sophisticated she will be."

"A chemist? Why would a chemist be doing this?"

"For many years she worked alongside Loki, who, as you know, did specialize in genetics. She was his assistant and was very loyal to him. When he was exiled she was angry and vowed to continue his work. Many on the Council wanted her exiled as well but some resisted. She was allowed to remain free."

"So, not only did she want to continue Loki's work, I can assume she was pretty upset at those she saw as responsible for his exile, is that right?"

"Yes Colonel Carter, that is so. That is why I fear for O'Neill." He had lowered his voice, not wanting to worry the child again.

"How are we going to save Jack?" a determined young voice interrupted their discussion.

"Yes, how are we?" a much older voice added.

"I'm not sure yet Molly, Chris, but we'll think of something."

Thor looked over at the woman and the boy and nodded. "You can be confident that we will save him. The entire Asgard race owes its thanks to Samantha Carter and SG1 and they will again be victorious."

Sam wished he didn't sound so confident because she had absolutely no idea what to do.

"What's SG1?" Chris asked curiously.

"Ah, it's the name of the team Jack led. It was made up of Jack, Daniel, myself and another man by the name of… Teal'c" She'd almost called him 'Murray' but figured it was a moot point since they already knew aliens existed.

"Daniel and Tilk can rescue us!"

Sam smiled, wishing she felt as confident. "I'm sure they will Chris, I'm sure they will."

Just as she'd finished speaking the panel swooshed open and in walked Holler, holding a tray with a water pitcher and some small squares of Asgard food.

"Here, you must be hungry and thirsty."

"Ah, you don't have anything other than these little things do you?" Sam pointed at the squares. She remembered how horrible they tasted.

"No. Go hungry if you do not wish to eat them."

"How's General O'Neill?" she asked, hoping for some news. She was less than pleased when Holler gave her a belligerant stare.

"He is helping the Asgard. How he is doing does not matter." He went to leave when Sam reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Please, he is our friend. Surely you must understand that and have some compassion?"

"Friend?" he laughed, an eerie sound coming from the grey alien. "I am pleased to hear that. Angrboda said it would be permanent but I doubted that was the case."

"What? What would be permanent?"

"The chemical."

"What chemical?"

"Na'tralishta – a derivative of Nishta. Do you remember that?"

"Yes of course, it's what Hathor used on the men of the SGC. But it doesn't affect women and the men are immune."

"They are immune to the Nishta. The new substance, created by me, is slightly different so there is no immunity. I also ensured that it affected both men and women equally."

"Okay, but I don't understand. What do you mean by it being permanent."

"Do you not know, Colonel Carter? Do you not yet understand?" She shook her head unsure as to what this was about.

"We wanted to ensure that O'Neill would be alone, that his 'protectors' would not be with him. The only way we could do that was to convince SG1 that he was a traitor. We knew that you would reject him and that he would be extremely hurt. We know many things about O'Neill and we understood that he would not remain where he thought there was betrayal. For that reason we made the video which we showed you."

"Yes, I remember the video. But what does this na'tralishta have to do with it?" she asked although she was beginning to have an idea where this was going.

"Colonel Carter, I am disappointed. I had heard you were one of the more intelligent of your race. Now I doubt that." He turned and looked at her directly. "Just before we showed you the video we ensured that you were all exposed to the chemical which I had created. It made you believe what we wanted you to believe. You believed it was Thor who came to you. You also believed that O'Neill was guilty. It worked exactly as we had planned. Angrboda was very pleased with me – although she thought the effects would be permanent. It didn't really matter, but I was sure they would eventually wear off. By that time it would be too late."

Sam stared at the little alien, sickened and yet incredibly relieved at the same time. They hadn't really betrayed the General. They had been drugged! It explained so much and lightened the heavy load of guilt that had rested on her shoulders for so many months. It didn't completely erase it however. A part of her still felt that they should have been able to resist the chemical.

"You are thinking that you should have been strong enough to resist, aren't you?" Sam looked in surprise at Holler, wondering how he knew what she was feeling. "It is not possible. The chemical is too strong. I made sure of it." He looked at her for a moment longer. "I told you we know much about O'Neill? Well, we know a great deal about all of SG1. We have carefully studied each of you for many years. It is how we knew we were going to be successful." He turned and walked to the doorway. "I must go now to see how Angrboda is doing. The last I was there the experiments had proceeded well. Poor O'Neill is not looking good – not looking good at all." With a cackle he walked out and the panel closed behind him.

"Oh God." Sam collapsed onto the floor, her head held in her hands. She had so many conflicting emotions running through her that she didn't know what to do.

"Come now Samantha. Don't let that nasty little worm bother you! You know now that this was all a terrible mistake and you can tell that to Jack soon enough. Right now you need to pull yourself together and we all have to think of a way out of here so we can rescue that poor man. He's been through enough already!"

Sam looked up and almost laughed as she saw a very fierce looking Molly standing over her. The older woman held out her hand. Sam reached up and was helped to her feet by the tiny woman.

"She is right Colonel Carter. We must think of a solution."

"Yeah!", said Chris. He walked over beside Thor and looked at her with determined, seven year old eyes. She looked at the three of them in front of her and thought what an unlikely team. But she started to smile. Hadn't SG1 always been an unlikely group of people – and look how they'd done. Giving a grin to her cellmates she put out her hand in front of her. They all looked puzzled until Chris returned her grin and put his hand on top of hers. Molly got it then and, with a big smile, added hers to the pile. They all turned to Thor, who looked a little confused, but placed his, very alien, hand on top.

"All for one and one for all!" Sam chanted.

Chris shouted 'YEAH'!

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Jack knew he was going to go mad if the pain continued. He felt like his body was slowly and meticulously being ripped to pieces. He'd stopped looking after he'd seen what the crazy Asgard had done to him, but could still feel her probing and cutting into his flesh and his organs. She had said she was taking samples – he couldn't bear to imagine what that meant. By the time she was done he figured there wouldn't be much of him left to salvage.

Inside he was screaming, but still no sound came out. That added to the pain and stress, which had no form of release. He tried to focus his mind, to think about something else other than the sharp pain and the feeling of foreign objects playing around with his insides. The problem was he couldn't keep a thought for any length of time due to the agony. Finally, he simply began to say Sam's name. For some reason that was the only thing that brought any comfort so he repeated it to himself, over and over until it became a mantra.

Finally – God, finally, she seemed to have finished. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her put down a bloody instrument and step back to the consol. She washed her hands, also covered in his blood, and then returned to the table where she looked down at him.

"There, that wasn't too bad was it?" He couldn't figure out whether she was serious or not. All he knew was that right now he wanted nothing more than to grab her skinny neck and twist it until it snapped.

Jack saw her pick up the same rod with which she'd cut him open and felt another scream rise in his throat – although it petered out like all the others had done. He watched morbidly as she held it over his chest. She seemed to pause, looking at him. He was sure she was trying to draw out his anticipation and pain.

At length she reached down and touched his flesh with the metal rod. He couldn't even tell where this time, his whole body such a mass of pain that he was not able to identify any specific area.

Expecting more of the excrutiating burning he was surprised when it didn't come. Instead, he felt a cool rush of feeling. Soon, his chest and abdomen felt cold, as if ice had been placed there This time there was no pain – in fact, the cold was a relief.

After a few minutes the Asgard put the rod down and turned away. She began to walk towards the door but spoke at the last moment.

"That was very tiring. I need to rest. I'll be back to continue."

He really wanted to laugh at her. 'Tiring'? God, try being the tortured rather than the torturer and you'll see how 'tiring' it is.

He knew he had to determine what she'd done to him before she left. He was terrified that he'd look down and find that half his organs had been removed or something. Still, it was worse not knowing so he forced himself to glance down.

He sighed a huge sigh of relief. It looked like the rod had done a simple job of 'sewing' him back up. The scar was livid and streaked with blood, but at least he could no longer see his heart or lungs or liver hanging out. Exhausted and traumatized he closed his eyes, but he was still unable to rest, the metal 'helmet' keeping him conscious.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The three humans and one Asgard sat quietly in the cell, trying to come up with something that would help Jack. They hadn't yet found a solution although Chris had suggested 'kicking the crap' out of Holler. His grandmother reprimanded him for his language, although Sam thought she secretly agreed with him. She also wanted to pound the alien who was hurting Jack!

As she was sitting there she suddenly had a strange 'tingling' feeling. She couldn't figure out where it was coming from until she heard Thor give a sharp gasp.

"Colonel Carter!" he said, looking over at her with amazement.

"What is it Thor?"

"Where did you get that pendant?" He was looking at the necklace Jack had given her (or that was from Jack – he hadn't exactly given it to her)

"Uh, I've had it since Jack left. It was from him." She reached her hand up to hold it like always and was shocked to feel the heat emanating from it and a slight buzz, which extended up her arm.

"Do you not know what that is?"

"No, I just thought it was very pretty."

"It is indeed, but it is more than that. That is an Ancient Zefira stone." He stopped as if she was supposed to know what that was.

"And so?"

"It is a very rare stone that was discovered by the Ancients. It had always been thought to have unusual properties, but it had never been proven. An Ancient scientist by the name of Zefir experimented on it and determined that it _was_ special, but that it's properties were unusable by most everyone. After a time he figured out a way for those who were of the Ancient race to activate it's power."

"What kind of power Thor?"

"I do not know much Colonel Carter, but I do know if it has been touched by one of Ancient blood it is said to be a protection to the one wearing it. I have heard many stories of other things."

"Like what?" Sam was getting a little impatient.

"It is said to give the wearer strength and courage and I have even heard that it can act as a cloaking device, to keep the one who has it from being seen."

"Well, that clearly hasn't happened, unless you're all pretending to see me?" Thor shook his head.

Sam stood up, hoping that maybe it would be good for something but slightly doubtful. She tried to do a number of things with it including opening the door, going invisible, lifting one of the others up, etc., but nothing happened. Finally, in frustration she leaned against one of the walls.

"It doesn't look like it works for me. Maybe it has to be an Ancient in control of it."

"That may be so Colonel. Try one more time." Thor looked at her hopefully. There was nothing else for them to do.

Closing her eyes Sam tried concentrating on the door, telling it open. All the while she held on to the stone tightly, continuing to feel it tingle. She was terribly discouraged as nothing happened.

Oh Jack, she thought, why can't I help you?

"Do that again Colonel Carter. Something happened."

"It did Sam, it did." Chris was bouncing up and down.

"It did? What did it do?" She opened her eyes and looked at the others. They were all standing looking expectantly at her.

"It started to glow. Do it again Sam."

"Uh, I don't know what I did." She looked at the pendant, confused as to what had caused it to glow.

"What were you thinking Colonel?" Thor asked.

"I was just thinking about opening the door." She closed her eyes and tried it again, repeating 'open the door, open the door'. It didn't work. She opened her eyes in frustration.

"Nothing's happening."

"Was there anything else you were thinking?" Molly asked.

She thought back. Nothing other than being worried about Jack.

"There! It's happening again!" Chris pointed and sure enough, the pendant was glowing.

Was that it? Did she just have to think about Jack for it to activate?

"It's glowing harder. Keep doing it Sam!" Molly was watching anxiously.

Sam closed her eyes and thought about Jack as hard as she could. She thought about his funny quirks, his 'sexiness' (okay, naughty Sam), the gentleness that hid under the tough exterior, his love of children. Finally, she thought about the fact that he was captured and at the mercy of an evil being who wanted to use him for her own purposes. Out of the corner of her subconscious she could hear the panel in the wall open.

"You did it!" Chris spoke loudly but his grandmother and Thor quickly told him to be very quiet. They both looked at Carter who was standing stunned, the glowing necklace in her hand.

"Let's go", she finally whispered. "Let's find Jack." Everytime she thought of him, or mentioned his name, the necklace seemed to gather power. She wondered why it was just doing it now and not before. She whispered the question to Thor.

"It must be O'Neill himself. There is a connection to the one who touched it. Maybe his Ancient powers are active right now."

She could only hope that that was it. She turned to Molly and Chris. "Why don't you stay here. This could be dangerous.

Molly looked ferociously at her. "I'm not staying here when one of my lambs is being hurt. I am going with you."

"Me too!" Chris also looked fierce. She wanted to laugh. He looked like a miniature Jack O'Neill. She couldn't get over the resemblance, even though they weren't related by blood.

"Okay, but stay behind me. We don't know how many Asgard are here."

"I have only seen Angrboda and Holler." Thor replied.

"Thor, can you see if you can find the ship's controls? Maybe you can try and beam us back to your ship when I find the General?"

"I will see Colonel Carter."

"Okay folks, let's go." Sam led Molly and Chris as Thor went the opposite direction. She really wished she had some kind of weapon.

They arrived at the end of the corridor. With a look Sam made sure that her two companions were standing well back when she opened the panel. As soon as they swished open she could see Holler on the other side. He was startled, but almost instantly began to raise a weapon. His eyes on Sam, knowing that she was the threat, he didn't see the little human woman that snuck up behind him.

"Did you really think you could escape Colonel Carter? I assure you, there is no way out of here. We promised General O'Neill we would let you go when we were finished. Why didn't you wait?"

"Because we didn't want to!" a small foot, clad in a size 4 orthotic shoe, reached around and stomped on his bare foot. That same shoe then kicked him in the leg as hard as it could!

With an Asgard 'ooph' Holler fell forward, the weapon clattering to the ground. As he tried to right himself a small hand, belonging to an earth child who had gotten to know, and to love one Air Force General, landed in the middle of his back and pushed with all the strength and determination in his body.

The small, and generally fragile alien body, was pushed to the floor. Sam quickly knelt down and immobilized the nasty Asgard.

"Wow, what a team!" She looked up and grinned, especially when she caught the looks of extreme satisfaction on the faces of the Jack O'Neill protection squad. Glancing at the alien she knew they had to get rid of him quickly, but where to put him?

"In here Samantha." Molly had gone over and opened a small door in the hall. It looked like some kind of Asgard storage cupboard. Sam grabbed a piece of material that was surrounding a mysterious object (she would have loved to explore the cupboard at another time) and ripped it into sheets. Quickly and efficiently tying the alien with the strips she shoved him in the cupboard and closed it.

"One down and one to go." She looked at Molly and tried to pass a message to the old lady without letting on to Chris. She really didn't want the little boy to accompany her. Who knew what she'd find.

The woman nodded once, understanding what Sam was trying to say. "Come on Chris. We should go find Thor and help him." She began to pull the little boy with her.

"No! I want to find Jack!" he pulled away from his grandmother and ran to Sam. She kneeled down to speak with him.

"Listen Chris, it's very important that we each do our part to help out. Jack would want you to follow orders and obey your Grandma. Sometimes it's really, really hard – we all want to be the ones to help save Jack. But you know what?" the little boy shook his head, "to be a good soldier, to be a part of General O'Neill's team, we all have to obey orders and sometimes do what we don't want to do. Do you understand?"

"Do you have to obey orders too?"

"Of course. I'm a Colonel. That means I have to obey Generals – like Jack. Sometimes he's had me do things I didn't want to do but it was because he knew best" she was really glad Jack wasn't here to hear this – she'd never live it down! It wasn't her obeying orders that was the issue – it was admitting that Jack 'knew best'!

"Okay, if you think that's what Jack would want."

"I know it is Chris. He'd be very proud to see how brave you've been and it takes even more courage to do something you'd rather not do. You go and help Thor – that's the best thing you can do right now. I'll go get Jack."

"Alright. But tell him I love him okay?"

"I will, don't worry."

"And you can tell him you love him too. He needs that you know."

She looked down at him and stroked his cheek. "I'll tell him that too."

With that the 'team' split up – Molly and Chris to go help Thor, Sam to save the man she loved.

*Double-double is a Canadian term which means coffee with 2 cream, 2 sugar

**_A special thank you to Alimoo for the great suggestion with the necklace - I was wondering how to get them out! Great one Alimoo - thanks!_**

**_And another thank you to all those people who kept with the story even though you thought SG1 was OC for not believing in Jack! See - I wouldn't have them do that without a really good reason! I hope you're all feeling better now!_**


	13. At Last

**_Okay MajorSam - this is for you!_**

Davis came back from the gas station bathroom where he'd taken the call when it finally came through.

"Any word?" asked Daniel.

"Yes. It looks like he's on his way to Mrs. Simkiew's house. He should be there in about five minutes." Davis quickly got into the car, knowing that the other two would want to leave immediately.

"Why would he be going there? Especially at this time." The men had been waiting for hours in their car, hoping for news. It was already past 2:00 a.m. and they'd almost given up hope that Grayson would appear.

"They may believe that O'Neill is still there." Teal'c spoke from the back seat. "It may be that the Asgard have what they were looking for and so have decided not to involve Grayson anymore."

"Yeah, but that still doesn't explain how they knew where Jack was or why they're going to Molly's place. It must have been the Asgard who told them, unless there's a leak so high up we haven't seen it."

"I don't think so. Other than the President and Chief of Staff no one knew. I can't imagine the Canadians are involved." Davis sat quietly for a moment. "Maybe they've gone to clean things up." Daniel pulled the car out of the gas station and turned towards Molly's.

"What?" Daniel didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Well, they may think that the Pentagon is still in the dark as far as Jack is concerned. Right from the beginning they've worked to ensure no one knew what was happening, or that an Asgard was involved. Maybe Grayson and his men have been sent to make sure there are no traces of Jack."

"What about Molly or Chris?"

"Well, if they think they're still there they might try to do something as well. Otherwise why would they be going to the house at this time?"

"Thank God they're not there."

"I do not think you should thank your God Daniel Jackson. We believe they are not there because they were taken by the Asgard. I do not believe that is preferable."

"Yeah, you're right Teal'c. I just don't like to think of anyone hurting Molly or the boy. And if something did happen to either of them Jack would never forgive himself."

"If something does happen I expect he wouldn't be around to feel bad. It will have meant that the Asgard were successful in what they were trying to accomplish." Davis said what everyone was thinking, but it didn't make his words any more palatable.

Daniel pulled the car to a stop and turned out the lights. They were about half a block from Molly's. They could see the other car sitting a few hundred feet beyond her house. After about five minutes they could see the doors open and the three men got out of the car. They were dressed in black and kept their heads down, but it was clear that one of the men was Senator Grayson.

"I can't believe he's directly involved in this. You'd think he wouldn't want to be seen."

"He's either being bribed or blackmailed." Davis spoke as if he knew something. They kept watching as the men slowly moved towards Molly's.

"Why do you say that?"

"We did a very quiet check on him after he went to see Hammond. It turns out his wife left him." He stopped, watching as one of the men moved towards the side walkway of the little white house.

"What does that have to do with him being bribed or blackmailed."

"It was the reason she left him that's why I think it's likely."

"Which was?"

"He was involved with quite a few hookers – had been a number of times. It also turned out he was into drugs and gambling. He's lost thousands of dollars. It'd been going on for years but he kept it well hidden. I guess the wife knew and couldn't take it any more. Looks like he began to fall apart after she left. That was just a little while before the sting operation in which Jack was involved." Davis stopped. "Okay guys, looks like they're on the move. They're going around the back, trying to get in. Let's go."

The three men got out of the car and carefully made their way to the darkened house. They waited until they were sure the others had entered. They could see a small light shining through one of the basement windows.

With a gesture Davis indicated that they should go in the back door. Quickly, quietly, they entered.

"In here Grayson!" they heard a voice coming from the basement. A small rustling sound could be heard followed by a sharp "my God, what happened?"

The basement light went on and Davis and the two members of SG1 heard small bits of the ensuing conversation.

"….kill him! …. promised…..."

With a nod Davis indicated that Daniel should head with him down the stairs. Teal'c would stay at the top as they weren't sure if all three were downstairs or if one of the intruders had gone to the main floor.

Daniel moved quietly, pressed to the side of the stairwell. Davis followed close behind. Both men carried handguns - Daniel spared a small thought at how comfortable he was with weapons after all these years. They arrived at the bottom, still hidden from the direct sight of the men who were standing by the broken table.

"What the hell were they thinking? What will the police say? They're gonna know something suspicious went down and the Pentagon will be informed in no time." It was Grayson's voice.

"Why would they call the Pentagon? The locals will just think it was a robbery or something. They won't know anything happened."

"They'll know O'Neill was here."

"Yeah, but it looks like he wasn't using his real name so they won't know who he is. They'll assume that he did something to the kid and old lady. They'll take one look at this and label him a psychopath. They won't know who he really was."

"They'll show his picture around."

"Yeah, but it's still a local crime. It's not gonna get shown in DC. It'll just be a mystery never to be solved here in BC."

"God, I hope you're right. I thought Angrboda would do a better job in getting them out. What the hell is wrong with her?"

"She's crazy, that's what's wrong. I wouldn't want to be on her bad side, that's for sure. God, I can't even imagine what she's doing to O'Neill. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes for anything."

"No, me either." At least Grayson sounded guilty. He clearly didn't like being involved in this. Shows what an addiction to hookers and drugs could do to a person.

"Come on, let's get out of here. Make sure you don't leave any trace. They're gonna go over this with a fine tooth comb."

"What're we gonna do now?" Grayson's companion asked.

"Now we'll report to the crazy Asgard and let her know everything is looked after. She'll beam us up to her ship and then back to DC. We instantly show ourselves to establish an alibi. We'll get paid when she's ready to head out." Grayson had stopped and looked back one more time to see the destruction and the blood. He felt sick, seeing what he'd become. At one time he was a man with principles. He'd wanted to do good, to make a difference. He'd had a wonderful wife and three great kids. At what point had he started to throw that all away, he wondered? He thought back to that night almost ten years ago – when he'd been off at a conference and had been enticed into going to his first hooker. He'd immediately felt guilty but couldn't seem to stop himself. God – he couldn't believe what he'd become.

"You sure she's gonna follow through on her promises?" the man with him asked as he turned towards the stairs.

"Yes. She knows that the whole story will be leaked to the President and the Joint Chiefs if she reneges and they'll take it to the Asgard High Council. It's worth it to all of us to keep our promises." The two men had reached the stairwell when Daniel and Davis stepped forward, guns drawn.

"I suggest you men don't move, unless you want to add to the blood down here." Grayson started and turned pale. The other man reached back and tried to grab his gun. Davis quickly lifted his and shot the man in the shoulder. The man dropped to the ground, groaning in pain. Grayson backed up, his arms in the air.

"I'm unarmed." He looked scared to death. Just then they heard noises upstairs. There were a number of loud thumps, followed by a groan and a short scream. The silence that followed made them wonder what had happened.

"Everything is secure Daniel Jackson, Colonel Davis." Teal'c's voice floated down. Davis looked over and grinned. They should never have even wondered.

"What are you going to do with us?" Grayson asked.

"Well, we're gonna have you take us with you to the Asgard ship." Daniel looked towards Davis. "I expect the police will be here shortly. I think you'd better stay with the two men and explain to the cops what happened. Teal'c and I will go with the Senator."

"Great! Just what I wanted – to try and explain to local police why I'm holding two men prisoner in a strange house – hell, in a different country even." But he nodded, knowing it was necessary. "I'll contact General Hammond right now and he'll get in touch with the President. I'm sure the Canadian's will send in the RCMP pretty quickly."

"So Grayson, I think you said you were going to contact that crazy alien? Why don't we go do that?" Daniel grabbed his arm and pushed him up the stairs to where Teal'c was waiting.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Sam inched along the corridor, making sure that she wouldn't be surprised by an Asgard they weren't aware was on the ship. As far as they knew there were just the two, but she couldn't be sure.

After walking for a few minutes she came to a doorway at the end of a long corridor. She'd put her necklace back on and it had gotten slowly warmer and more 'active' the farther she'd gone. Placing her fingers on it now she felt the heat emanating from it and the intense 'buzzing' coming from it. She knew Jack must be near.

With a deep breath she reached over and hit the control panel on the door. She quickly moved into the room and over to the side, looking around the chamber carefully. It looked like there was no one present. Just then, however, she saw the metal table over to one corner and saw there was a body on it. Crap! She just knew it was Jack.

Shutting the panel door she walked over, sweeping the room with her eyes. She really wished she had a zat gun. She would have taken the aliens weapons but she'd been unable to figure out how to use it. She was pretty sure it was someone built to be operated only by the Asgard.

As she grew closer she sucked in a deep breath. Jack lay naked on the table, blood everywhere. She couldn't see an open wound but it looked like a number of livid and very recent scars adorned his abdomen. He had some kind of helmet like thing on his head although she couldn't see if it was doing anything. Ironically his leg was still in its cast, although it too had blood on it. His eyes were closed and he was totally still. She prayed he was only unconscious, and not dead.

Just as she reached his side his eyes flew open and he looked at her. Oh God, he _was_ conscious, but why wasn't he moving or saying anything? It took her only a couple of seconds, and the terrified look in his eyes, to know that he couldn't. He was totally paralyzed.

"Shit!" she said softly. "I'm gonna get you out of here Jack, it may just take me a minute." She looked carefully at the machinery surrounding him. She saw that he was immobilized on the table although why that was necessary when he couldn't move she didn't know. She looked around until she saw what looked like a control. With a short prayer she hit it and the restrains circling his ankles and wrists fell away. She saw another one that must have gone around his waist but it had already been opened – obviously to allow for whatever surgery (she didn't even want to think 'torture') had been done to him.

Okay, that part was done. Looking carefully it seemed like the only other thing restraining him was the helmet thingy. She touched it gently and nothing happened. She attempted to remove it but could instantly see the distress in his eyes. It amazed her how expressive they were, even with him unable to move the rest of his face.

"Okay Jack, don't worry. I won't fiddle with it for now. I need to figure out how to work it." Looking down at him she saw that his eyes kept moving to a point beyond her. She turned and saw a consol over to the side with what looked like various controls. There was also some kind of bracelet sitting on the surface.

"Is it over there?" She looked down at Jack and he blinked. Okay, she was gonna assume that was a yes. She walked over and looked at the controls. God, she had no idea what they did. She glanced down and saw some kind of metal rod. She was about to turn to something else when she realized it was covered in blood.

Closing her eyes she felt sick. Looking at the various instruments and the amount of blood she knew that Jack had been experimented on. She just prayed that what had been done to him wasn't irreversible. It looked like nothing was missing on him – at least on the outside.

Looking at the things in front of her she felt terribly frustrated. She really couldn't tell what anything did and didn't want to fool around with anything, not knowing what the consequences would be. At the same time, she couldn't just leave him here! She reached over to one of the controls and knocked the bracelet onto the floor. She instantly heard a vibrating noise and, glancing up, saw the helmet move a bit. Jack's eyes grew wide and she could tell he was terrified. She reached down quickly and picked up the silver object.

She turned it over and saw the buttons - this was definitely some kind of controller. Based on what had just happened she realized it must control the helmet – and maybe other things on the table.

Studying it carefully, she thought she could kind of figure it out but knew whatever she did would be a leap of faith. She looked up at Jack.

"Does this control the thing on your head?" She wanted to make sure. He blinked.

"I can try it but I'm not sure what will happen. I don't know how much time we have. Sir, are you okay if I try and use this?" she held it up. He blinked again – he wanted out.

"Okay." She walked over to the General and gently put her hand on his chest, just below the collarbone. "I'm not going to let her get you again Sir, don't worry. We're gonna get you back to the SGC and everything will be okay." He just kept looking at her, but she was almost sure she could see the trust in his eyes, something she hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe it was just her imagination, just what she wanted to see – but she refused to believe that.

"Alright, here goes." Holding her breath she pushed one of the buttons. Instantly the helmet came alive. Jack closed his eyes, sure that he was going to die with this thing on his head. Then slowly, surely he could feel movement – he could feel the tendrils tendrils retract and pull out. It seemed to happen slowly but then suddenly, he was free. Sam pulled it away from him and looked down. She almost cried out at what she saw.

Jack's head was a mess. There was blood everywhere, and she could see more seeping out of the small holes she saw in concentric circles on the crown of his head. Oh God, she felt sick to her stomach. Something had pierced his skull and had burrowed into his brain. She had no idea what damage had been done or whether it was permanenent.

Jack could begin to feel some control return to his body, although he was still in a lot of pain – and felt incredibly weak. Sam hadn't moved since the helmet had lifted off of him. He knew it must be pretty horrible but didn't have time to deal with it at that moment.

As soon as felt feeling begin to return in his hands and arms he carefully reached over and touched her. She lifted her head and looked at him - this time the distress was in her eyes.

"Oh General, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" She stood back and could see that he had started to move a tiny bit. She knew, looking down at him, that he was in no condition to move on his own. How in hell was she going to get him home?

"Saa." He tried to speak.

"Yes, I'm here."

"He …p"

"What do you need?" He tried to lick his lips but his mouth was so dry it didn't help. She looked around but there was no water to be seen. She quickly walked to the consol and saw what looked like a tap. After fumbling around for a few seconds she found the 'on' button. A stream of water shot out. She grabbed a tumbler and took some water to the man barely moving on the table.

Gently reaching under him she lifted him enough to allow him to take a small sip. Even that amount made him cough but he indicated he wanted more. After a few sips he nodded. He felt almost human – although he knew there were some serious things wrong with him. His head felt like mush and he couldn't concentrate. His vision was also off and he didn't even want to think about the feeling in his chest and abdomen. He knew there had been some serious damage done there. He expected he was bleeding internally.

"We've got to get you out of here. Do you think you can walk?" He looked over at her and simply raised an eyebrow (damn, even that hurt!). Walk? He didn't think he could even breathe particularly well but he knew he'd have to try.

With a soft grunt he tried to get his feet over the side. Sam helped him all the way and eventually he was – sort of – sitting up. If it hadn't been for the Colonel he wouled have instantly fallen over in a heap.

He looked at Sam and knew there was only one thing he could do. He grinned. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't very big, but it showed that he was still in there somewhere. For the first time in the last half hour Sam thought there might be some hope.

Alright, she had to get him out the door. How to do that? She glanced down and it hit her, for the first time really, that he was stark naked. Oh, she'd realized it when she entered but it hadn't really even registered. All she'd been concerned about was his condition. Now, however, she realized that he really needed some clothes. She figured he wouldn't want to wander around naked – besides which it must be cold!

"Jack, do you know where your clothes are?" He looked at her blankly and it hit her again that he wasn't okay. He was in bad shape.

"Okay. We'd better find you some pants." She gently laid him back down, although his feet were still hanging over the edge. "Are you okay for a second?" He looked at her and smiled. She hoped that meant he was answering her question. She was beginning to wonder if they were simply unconscious gestures. Maybe there was serious brain damage.

Refusing to dwell on that she looked around until she saw his clothes in a heap on the floor. Running over to them she picked everything up. She ran back and helped him on with the shirt. He wasn't able to do too much so it was kind of like dressing a small child. She looked at the jeans and knew they were beyond her. At least his boxers would give some small measure of cover. She reached down and was able to pull them up part way but, when she got to the table and his thighs and – uh – butt, she knew she'd need his help.

"Sir, you're gonna have to help me here." She pulled as hard as she could but then she had to lift each of his thighs, trying to pull the shorts up at the same time. He didn't appear to have much coordination so it was extremely difficult. By the time the boxers were on as far as his upper thighs she was sweating.

"Sir, you're going to have to – ah – lift your, I mean lift yourself up a bit so I can pull these up." When she looked at him he didn't appear to have any expression on his face but for some reason she had the sneaking suspicion he was laughing at her.

He reached down with very shaky arms and tried to brace himself on the table and push up at the same time. She immediately yanked the shorts up. Unfortunately they got a bit 'tangled'. She could feel herself blush furiously as she had to 'unhook' them and finish pulling them up. Now she really was sweating!

"General, let's try getting you up. You're going to have to put your arm around me and we're going to get out of here okay?" He nodded slightly, knowing this was going to really hurt. He wished he didn't have the damn cast on still. That would just make it more awkward. She reached over and tried to carefully help him up.

"NO!" a voice screamed. Sam whipped around and there stood Angrboda, a furious expression on her face. Sam couldn't remember ever seeing an Asgard with quite that expression.

"He's mine! You will not take him." She held a weapon up – what it was Sam wasn't quite sure. "Step away from him NOW!" The Asgard was breathing quickly. Sam was convinced she was mad – crazy mad, not angry.

"No, you've done enough. Just let me take him home. Surely you have what you need." Sam begged. She could feel Jack begin to slump beside her.

"Yes, I have enough – enough of his DNA – I've taken what I need. But that is not everything. He is responsible for ruining my life. He took Loki from me and destroyed our life's work. He must pay!" She was screaming by the end. Angrboda lifted her weapon and pointed it at Jack. She moved her thumb to press on the single button on the top. Jack knew this was it – he was going to die.

Sam too saw what was happening. Knowing she couldn't stand to see the man she loved killed in front of her she did the only thing she could do. She threw herself in front of him.

The beam from the weapon struck her directly in the chest, leaving a deep and fatal wound. She slowly fell to the floor; her last sight was of Jack, looking at her with anguish. With a cry, he followed her down and, with his remaining strength, pulled her unresisting body to him. Closing his eyes he rocked her gently.

He heard a soft voice – her last words. "I'm so sorry Jack, so sorry." With a howl of agony he collapsed with her in his arms, knowing that he'd been wrong, so very wrong. He should have known – she would never knowingly betray him – he should have listened to her – she had just proven her faithfulness in the most profound way possible - and with the last action she would ever take.

Holding her ever so gently he spoke softly into her hair. "No Sam, I'm sorry. Don't leave me, please don't leave me." With his strength waning his eyes closed one last time. At least they were together at the end.


	14. Heaven

**_Please don't hate me ...!_**

Thor headed towards the control centre of the ship, closely followed by an extremely bemused old lady and a very excited little boy. Chris was a little worried about Jack but he was sure Sam would save him. In the meantime, he was on a real live alien spaceship. Wouldn't the kids at school be jealous! He began to ask non-stop questions the entire way.

"So what do you eat if you don't eat people?" he asked Thor.

"We have cubes of finely refined proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that provide adequate nutrition for our needs."

"Sounds yucky!" Chris struck out his tongue and crossed his eyes.

"Yes, they are", The alien agreed.

"I like basgetti and meatballs and candy and Grandma's perogies. You'll have to try some – they're yummy."

"I would be pleased to try them young Christopher."

"What do you do for fun?" Chris reached out and took Thor by the hand, swinging their arms as they walked.

"Fun?" Thor looked down in confusion.

"Yeah – fun! Do you like TV?"

"No, we do not have TV on my world."

"Oh, too bad. I like watching cartoons. Grandma doesn't let me watch TV on school nights but I get to watch on Saturday mornings. So, do you like sports?"

"Sports?" Thor stopped, looking even more confused.

"Yeah, you know, baseball, hockey, soccer."

"I do not know those things."

"Really? So what do you do when you're not working?"

Thor thought for a moment. "I study."

"Study? Yuch. You need to come over to my house and we can play some games. I want Grandma to buy me a WII. We could play Mario Brothers or even try bowling. I bet you'd be good at sword fighting."

They arrived at the main control centre of the ship. Thor turned to Chris. "I would be very pleased to play WII with you. You will have to teach me."

"Okay. What's this place?" Chris walked away from Thor and went over to one of the panels with the oval shaped controllers. He reached out to touch it.

"Christopher! Don't touch anything." Molly hurried over and grabbed her grandson, not sure what those things did!

"You must not touch anything Christopher", Thor added. "You would not want to send us to the next galaxy."

"Cool! Could I really do that?" Molly glanced quickly at Thor wondering if he was telling the truth. She was sure she saw a twinkle in his eye.

"It is alright Molly", Thor added. "He could not really hurt anything." He reached down and checked out the controls. After a moment he moved to another panel and moved some of the oval stones around. The two humans had no idea what he was doing.

"I have made sure that we can return to my ship. I have also let earth know where we are and that O'Neill is here as well."

"We should go find Jack and Sam and make sure they're okay."

"Yes little one." Thor went to check the controls to find where Angrboda and the other humans were when a sound came through on the controls. Someone was trying to contact the ship.

Thor answered the call but did not turn the visual identification on – not wanting to let whoever was contacting him know he was now in control of the ship.

"Someone is requesting to be beamed up." He said to his two companions. He fiddled with a few more of the 'stones' and then let out an 'aha!'. Without any fuss Thor moved one more stone and suddenly, three bodies materialized on the bridge.

"Wow! That's so neat, isn't it Grandma."

"Yes", answered Molly. She was quickly becoming used to all sorts of strange things happening. She couldn't quite believe all that had happened over the last couple of days!

It took her a moment but Molly realized she knew one of the men. The other two she'd never seen before.

"Daniel, thank heavens you're here."

"Molly, Christopher – we're glad you're okay." Daniel was more than relieved but, looking around realized that the others were missing. "Where are Jack and Sam?"

Thor answered. "Colonel Carter has gone to look for O'Neill. Angrboda took him. I believe we must hurry to find them." It had taken longer than he'd thought to get to the control room and he was increasingly worried about what had happened.

"Daniel Jackson, why do you not stay here with Mrs. Simkiew and young Christopher. I will go with Thor to find O'Neill and Colonel Carter."

"Uh – you may need me too Teal'c."

"I will tell you where you are to go and I will stay here with Molly and Christopher", Thor offered.

"Yeah except there's this scum bag", Daniel pointed at Grayson. "He was in on this whole thing."

"I won't try and escape", he pleaded. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt." Teal'c and Daniel both looked disgusted.

"We'll take him with us. Just look after Molly and Chris, Thor." Daniel walked over to where the alien was standing. "Just tell us where we can find Jack and Sam."

Daniel, Teal'c and Grayson headed out to retrieve the remaining members of the former SG1.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The first thing she noticed was how peaceful everything was. She was lying down somewhere – she didn't really remember where she was or why – but for some reason it didn't matter. She simply felt relaxed and at peace. She could hear the gentle sounds of the wind rustling leaves on the trees and the sound of water lapping against the shore. As a small bee flew over her, near to her face, she blinked and took a deep breath. She finally decided she should sit up – although she decided it didn't really matter what she did.

She slowly pushed herself up until she was sitting, her legs straight out in front of her. She still didn't know where she was but it _was_ beautiful. In front of her was a pristine lake, so still it looked like sparkling blue glass. It was surrounded by an emerald green forest, so thick the trees almost looked like velvet. Directly in front of her – in fact she was lying on it – was a beautiful sandy beach. There appeared to be no people anywhere.

She stared at the scene for a few minutes, relaxed and happy. She thought she heard a slight movement off to her right but when she peered over to the side there seemed to be nothing there. As she looked back, towards the lake, she happened to glance down. It was only then that she discovered she was wearing a very tiny, deep blue colored bikini. It was so tiny it barely covered the essentials.

She could feel herself blush, even though no one was around, and looked to see if there was a towel or cover handy. She saw nothing and then began to wonder why in the world she was wearing such a revealing outfit. She didn't even _own_ a bikini. She remembered that year's ago, when Janet was still alive, the good doctor had tried to convince her to buy one, saying she had the perfect body for it. Sam had refused. Maybe it was growing up in an all male household (at least after her Mother's death) or maybe it was because she was part of a very male-oriented military – all she knew was she didn't feel comfortable displaying her body so openly in public.

It was as she sat pondering the unusual circumstances in which she found herself that she heard that sound again. Whipping her head around she saw someone come out of the trees and head her way. It didn't take long, (and there was very little surprise), to realize it was Jack.

He was dressed in his usual (and very sexy looking) casual clothes. He had on a pair of slightly too baggy pants and a loose black shirt, the sleeves rolled up. He was wearing sunglasses and was walking towards her with obvious intent.

"Hi", he smiled as he reached her, and looked down. She couldn't tell, because his eyes were hidden behind his glasses, but she was pretty sure he was checking her out in her teeny, tiny bikini. Resisting the urge to try and cover herself with her hands she simply answered.

"Hi yourself."

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Of course, be my guest." Jack sat down next to her on her little area of beach and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He leaned back, holding himself up with his hands.

"Nice!" he said, looking off into the distance.

"Yeah, it's beautiful. Do you know where we are?"

"Mmmm, not really but I gotta say it's great."

"Not too many trees?" she asked, a smile in her voice.

"Nah, I like trees."

"You do? What was all that complaining for all those years then?"

"Well, it made you guys laugh so ….."

She laughed again. Yeah, leave it to Jack!

"So, no idea huh?" she asked, looking around and sounding like the man beside her.

"Nope! Although I gotta say I _really_ like the view." Since he was looking at her when he said that she could feel herself blush again. She was pretty sure he wasn't talking about the trees.

"I feel like this isn't real, you know." She said quietly, attempting to change the subject.

"No? I don't know – I think this may be totally real."

"But how did we get here? We weren't here a minute ago, I'm sure of it."

He sat for a few seconds, considering. He then turned to her with a grin. "I think you're right. I think we were somewhere else." He sounded like he'd just discovered a cure for the common cold!

"So, where were we?" she asked. She felt like they had to get to the bottom of this even though a part of her was just telling her to just lie back and enjoy it.

"I don't know. Let's think about it." They both sat for a while, trying – not very hard – to remember.

"Uh, I have a memory of …" She stopped. Goodness, what had she just been about to say?

"Memory of ….. what?"

"Never mind."

"No, you can't do that. You started it so you have to finish." He turned on his side, his head resting in one hand.

"It's silly."

"Doesn't matter. What were you going to say?"

"Oh, okay, since you insist! I have this memory of you …. naked."

"Wow! Is it a good one?"

"A good what?" she asked, confused and embarrassed.

"A good memory!"

"Jack!"

"What? I just want to know."

"No, I don't think it was a good one." She frowned and he looked a little hurt. "No, not the 'you being naked part' – I mean there's something else that I think was bad but I just can't remember. How about you?"

"No, I don't remember being naked – at least not recently. But I do kinda think there was something, unpleasant. I can't remember either. Let's forget about it and just enjoy the day." He grinned down at her again – really, really enjoying the bikini.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What if it's important? What if we have to remember?"

"What could be that important? We're always worrying about everything and everybody else. Can't we just take some time for ourselves?" He sounded sad rather than angry. She knew how he felt. Sighing, she leaned back and looked up at the very blue sky.

"But what if someone is relying on us? What if someone needs us?"

"Okay, now you've gone and spoiled everything." This time he didn't sound sad or angry, just resigned. "Let's figure it out then."

"So we think something bad happened just before we got here, right?"

"I guess."

"And you were naked."

"I don't like where this is going Sam."

"No, just wait Jack. There's got to be something. By the way, why am I in a bikini? I don't own a bikini."

"No? Too bad. You should definitely buy one. I always thought you'd look great in one just that color. Brings out your – uh, eyes!"

"General O'Neill! You were _not_ looking at my eyes!" He leaned back, a very mischievous expression on his face.

"Hey, I may be a General but I'm still a guy!"

"I know. I just saw you naked, remember?"

"You had some doubts before that?"

"Uh … no. Can't say as I ever had any doubts. I always knew you were a guy."

"Sweet!"

"We're getting sidetracked here. Let's try and figure this out. We know something bad was happening, but where were we? Were we off world? At the SGC? Do you remember anything?"

Jack squinted, trying hard – finally – to remember. There was something very hazy in the back of his mind but ….

"Thor! I remember Thor."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar. What were you doing with him?"

Jack frowned, another memory starting to intrude into his conscious mind. Suddenly he gasped and sat up. He frantically began to pull his shirt out of his pants and then ripped it right off. He looked down at his chest, desperately running his hands over his skin.

Sam noticed a number of scars there, but they were all old ones he's received in various battles over the years. She didn't see anything else wrong.

"What is it? What's the matter?" she asked, concerned. He continued to feel his skin as if he was looking for something but finally seemed to calm down. A second later his eyes grew big and he grabbed his head, feeling it as if searching for something there as well.

"Can you see anything?" he tilted his head forward. Sam looked carefully, even putting her fingers through his hair and checking his scalp.

"No, everything looks fine. Why? What did you remember?"

"I uh – " he stopped and looked at her, fear in his eyes. "I remember someone cutting me open. I could actually see all my organs. I remember them taking pieces from me."

"Oh God Jack, that's awful. What about your head?"

"They, they stuck something on me and it drilled into my head, right into my brain. God, tell me this was a nightmare?" He was breathing quickly, fear taking hold of him.

She looked at him for a minute and then a picture flashed into her mind. It wasn't just of him naked, he was also covered in blood, a vicious scar on his chest and stomach and some kind of helmet thing on his head.

"Crap!" she muttered.

"What? What is it?"

"I remember something too. I, I think it's a memory Jack. I don't think it's a dream."

"God – what happened? What did they do to me?"

"I don't know", she cried. "Do you have any idea who would have done this?"

"I just see Thor – but it couldn't have been him. He's my friend."

"Maybe it wasn't Thor. Maybe it was a different Asgard. They kind of, you know, look similar."

"Not to me. I can recognize Thor …." He stopped and looked down at Sam. Slowly, surely the memories were returning. There was something about a fake Thor and about his friends. What was it?

"You, you all thought I was a traitor!" he suddenly looked at her in shock. He felt like he couldn't breathe, like he had to get away. He edged away from her, still looking at her in alarm.

"No!" she cried again. "No Jack, it wasn't us. We would never think that. It was them, they did this."

"What? Who? What are you saying?"

"It was … Thor? No, not Thor – it was another Asgard. They wanted you. They wanted to experiment on you to save their race." But why, why this bit about betrayal? She knew it wasn't true but couldn't remember any details.

"You thought I'd betrayed the earth. You wouldn't have anything to do with me. I - I think I left." Slowly he was piecing it together and the pain of his friends' betrayal was hitting him again – although he didn't know this was the second time he'd experienced this.

"No Jack. We …", she stopped and closed her eyes. There was something on the edge of her memory. If she could only figure it out. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she immediately reached out for Jack. He pulled away but she followed. Kneeling in front of him she grasped both of his arms with her hands.

"No! It was a trick. The Asgard – not Thor, someone else – showed us a video, which proved you were a traitor. We didn't believe it – would never have believed it – but they gave us some kind of drug, a drug based on Nishta – that made us believe. It made us believe long enough for us to treat you like a traitor. By the time it wore off you were gone. We've spent…." she couldn't remember exactly how long. "We've spent a long time looking for you. We would _never_ have believed those lies if it weren't for that drug."

He still couldn't remember exactly what had happened but the instant relief and – joy - he felt made him feel so weak he collapsed forward, he head resting on Sam's shoulder.

She gently let go of his arms and put hers around his back. Holding on tightly she sat with him for a long time, simply enjoying the peace and the closeness.

Finally, he pulled away from her slightly and looked down at her. "So, Danny and Teal'c – they don't believe I'm a traitor?"

"No, and they never did. We've all been looking for you."

"For a long time you say?" She nodded. "Aren't you going to get in trouble with…" who was it who would be mad? "Uh Hammond? … no not Hammond …uh?"

"Landry! General Landry!" she announced.

"That's right. Landry. Walter Landry?" he looked at Sam and she shrugged. Walter had a certain familiarity but she couldn't say for sure that that was Landry's first name.

"So, Landry wasn't mad at you?"

"Uh, I think he was but I don't think we cared."

"Are you in trouble? Did you go … AWOL? Hey, did I?" he looked very pleased that he could remember the term, not so concerned about the possibility of actually having done it.

"I don't _think_ so." She stopped speaking and simply stared into space for a moment. "Jack."

"Yeah, what?"

"I don't think we're AWOL."

"No? That's good right?"

"No it's not. I think we're dead."

He didn't say anything for a long time either. He simply stared into the same distance as Sam.

"So, dead? That's kind of …." He wasn't quite sure _what _it was. It certainly wasn't unpleasant. In fact it was really kind of nice. Maybe this was heaven? Certainly that blue bikini was pretty heavenly.

"Jack!" she squeaked loudly.

"What?" he jerked in surprise. "What is it?"

"I think this is you." She swept her hand around the vista in front of them.

"Huh? What do you mean it's 'me'?"

"I think you've brought us here. I think we died and this is your … heaven or something."

So, she had the same thought about this being heaven as he did. Interesting.

"Why do you think it's 'me' – ur, _my_ heaven?"

"Uh?" she looked down at the bikini she was wearing. "I really don't think I'd picture myself in this." He had the decency to look slightly ashamed, but then he grinned.

"Hey! You can't blame a guy! So what if it's been a long-standing fantasy of mine. If this _is_ my version of heaven then I'd _definitely_ want you to wear that!" He sat back, looking extremely pleased with himself.

Sam frowned again. When he started to apologize, worried that she really was upset over the little blue bikini (okay, so it had still been worth it!), she simply waved her hand in dismissal.

"No, it's not that Jack – although next time we go to heaven, and it's _my_ version, you are so wearing an itsy, bitsy Speedo! No, I'm just wondering why we're both here. What happened and why are we remembering like this? Do you suppose this is it or is there something else we have to do or figure out?"

Jack sighed, knowing that his time to simply enjoy was officially over. Sam was in 'thinking' mode and wouldn't rest until they'd figured this out. Truth was, he was getting curious himself. Still, if this was it – he was pretty sure he could be happy here with Sam.

"Okay, so let's try and figure this out. The last thing both of us remember is me lying naked and being punched with holes and pieces being taken from me." Sam looked sick at this and Jack could honestly say it was grossing him out as well. "Do you remember anything after that?"

She looked blankly at him, trying to focus on her memories. "I think I remember taking whatever that thing was off your head. I remember lots of blood and I remember feeling like we had to hurry, to escape."

"Yeah. I remember you trying to help me up. I was in pain and so weak. I think…" he stopped. "I think you helped me get dressed." He stared back at her for a minute and got a slight smirk on his face. "You had trouble with my shorts!"

The memory came back in brilliant Technicolor – which is how her face looked as well. "Yeah, well be glad I didn't leave you hanging in the wind!"

"Hanging ..? Okay, not a nice thought." They sat for another few minutes, frustrated at their inability to remember.

"Thor! No, wait, it wasn't Thor it was ….."

"Angry!"

"You were angry?" she asked, confused.

"No – the Asgard – I called her 'Angry'. Her full name was something like … Angrbody – something."

"Angrboda! That's it. She came in to the room just as I was trying to help you escape. We stood there – I can't remember …"

"Oh God!", he gasped. His breathing began to speed up and he grabbed her and clutched her to him.

"Jack? What is it? What do you remember?"

"You died. Oh God no. You died. She was going to kill me and you threw yourself in front of me." He was crying in great, gulpling sobs. "You died Sam. I could see the blood rushing out of you. I could see the life leaving your body. Why did you do it Sam? Why did you do it? I didn't want you to die. Not for me, never for me. I'm not worth it. Why did you have to die Sam? Why?" He continued to sob, holding her tightly.

She remembered everything now. She remembered her dispair knowing she'd lost him because of her faithlessness. She remembered the desperate search to let him know they were sorry. She remembered wanting to warn him about the Asgard and the danger he was in. Finally, she remembered the moment she thought he was going to die and the realization that anything, even her own death, was preferable to that. Yes, she'd died for him but she couldn't be sorry. She'd given her own life for the man she loved.

Slowly his tears and his sobs diminished. He was still breathing erratically, consumed by emotion but he was no longer as frantic. It was only as she held him tightly that she had a sudden very startling thought – if she'd given her life for him, why was he here with her?

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Down this way, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c spoke softly. They were carefully moving through the corridors of the Asgard vessel – at the same time trying to go quickly. Grayson was cooperating although neither Teal'c nor Daniel trusted him.

They came to a large panel door at the end of a long corridor and knew instantly that this was the room they were looking for.

"It's here Teal'c" Daniel moved to the side, his gun held at the ready. Teal'c shoved Grayson to the side and opened the panel door.

"NO!" they heard a scream just as they entered. The little alien – Angrboda, the one behind everything that had happened, stood there, a weapon in her hand, staring ahead. Teal'c followed her eyes and gasped when he saw the two people on the floor.

"Daniel Jackson, it is O'Neill and Colonel Carter. They appear hurt."

"I see them Teal'c". Daniel sounded horrified. Angrboda, hearing the voices, turned and faced Teal'c.

"YOU!" she screamed again. "What are you doing here. O'Neill is mine – he is mine!" She began to rush towards the fallen man, pointing her weapon at him.

What happened next occurred so quickly that Daniel couldn't afterward remember the sequence of events. All he knew was that, in his shock at seeing Sam and Jack, clearly hurt if not dead, he'd taken his eyes off of the Senator. As the Asgard raced towards Jack he was shoved from behind and the gun was grabbed from his hand.

Terrified over what Grayson was going to do, he shouted a warning to Teal'c. The next events happened almost simultaneously. Grayson raised the gun and shot. At the same time Teal'c turned towards Grayson and shot his gun. As the Senator fell to the ground, mortally wounded, he looked at Daniel.

"Tell … my wife, kids … sorry. Love … them." The breath left his body for the last time and he sagged to the floor, dead.

Daniel swiftly looked towards Jack, sick with the certainty that Grayson had been effective with his one shot. What he saw shocked him.

Instead of Jack or Sam having been hit with Grayson's bullet, they saw the little alien, Angrboda lying wounded, blood seeping from the hole in her chest.

Daniel gathered his wits and ran over to Jack and Sam as Teal'c checked out the Asgard.

"He's mine! O'Neill is mine … and … I killed him. You … will … never … have him …!" Angrboda could barely speak. Her life was swiftly seeping on to the floor but she had a gleam of unholy joy in her large eyes.

"No, you have not killed him. O'Neill lives and will return to health. You have failed and you will be remembered as a traitor to your people!"

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" she sobbed. "NOOOOO!" Teal'c watched as the light faded from her eyes. This time there was no joy there – only the despair that she had failed.

As soon as the last bit of life had left her body Teal'c reached down and closed her eyes. Angrboda was no more.

"Teal'c." the big man stood up and quickly walked to Daniel Jackson.

"Teal'c" Daniel repeated, sounding anguished.

"What is it? How are O'Neill and Colonel Carter?"

"I don't know. I can't pull them apart." The two were grasped tightly in each other's arms. Daniel had tried to separate them but was unable to release Jack's arms from around Sam.

Both Daniel and Teal'c could see the tremendous amount of blood surrounding the fallen pair. They couldn't tell from whom it came – or if it was, in fact, from both of them. They could see the wounds on Jack's head but other than that they could not tell what had happened - the two were too closely entwined.

"Teal'c." Daniel said for a third time, deep sorrow in his voice. "I think they're dead."


	15. One Last Kiss

**_This is a short chapter but full of angst - don't say I didn't warn you about this story! If you're all really, really nice and send me lots of reviews (and shamelessly beg) - I might be induced to follow this up very quickly with a much last angst-filled chapter! _**

"Are you sure?" Teal'c rushed over to where Daniel was, kneeling beside their two friends. Teal'c reached over and put his fingers on Sam's neck, attempting to find a pulse.

He drew his hand away and, looking at Daniel simply shook his head.

"No!" Daniel cried. "Not Sam!"

Teal'c then quickly reached to check O'Neill. Again it seemed to take forever. As Daniel watched he could see Teal'c start to shake his head. God no, he thought. Not both of them.

At the last second Teal'c got an intent look on his face and pressed his fingers deeper into Jack's neck.

"I have found a pulse. It is faint, and very slow, but it is there."

"We've got to get him to Thor. He can put him in one of their pods and save his life."

"First we must separate him from Colonel Carter." The two friends looked down, saddened and horrified by what had happened. Somehow it seemed wrong to try and separate these two who had never managed to come together in life but were now together in death – at least the death of one of them.

"I couldn't do it Teal'c. You'll have to try. Jack's grip is just too strong."

Together they attempted to pull apart the two officers. Teal'c reached around and clasped O'Neill's hands and arms to pull them away from around Sam. He had to use all of his strength and even then was struggling to release the General's hold.

Slowly, very slowly, he began to pull Jack's arms from around the woman he loved.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

As Jack's sobs died down Sam had pulled back slightly. She reached up and gently swept her fingers across his cheeks, drying the tears that had fallen.

"It's okay Jack. I'm here, I'm here." He lifted his head and looked at her with terror filled eyes.

"Promise me Sam. Promise me you won't leave."

She reached and pulled him to her again. She wanted to be able to give him that promise but somehow, she knew she couldn't.

He finally calmed down to the point where he was able to sit back, giving her a chance to take a deep breath and relax. He looked at her and sighed.

"What is this all about? Why are we here?"

"I remember dying Jack. I remember being shot by the Asgard's weapon and I remember you holding me until I died. But I don't know what happened to you. I don't know why you're here."

"I must have died too – although I don't remember it. All I remember is I wasn't going to let you go, not again. I promised myself and the universe that we were going to be together."

"Jack."

"What?" He was still feeling terrible, as if something awful was about to happen.

"Jack – I think you're still alive."

"What? No, if I'm here with you then I'm in heaven and we're both dead. How could I possibly still be alive?"

"I don't know; maybe because you wouldn't leave me. I just have this feeling that you're not supposed to be here right now, with me."

"No, you see, you're wrong. If that were the case this wouldn't be my version of heaven. We wouldn't be here on this beach and you wouldn't be wearing that bikini."

She sat still for a minute, trying to get a handle on what was bothering her. Jack's words made sense but she still didn't believe he had died.

Suddenly, as they were sitting on the quiet beach, the sand started to move under her. She glanced down, confused. What was happening?

"Jack!" He saw it too and tried to grab her and scramble back – but the sand started moving too quickly. It was almost as if it were sinking into a hole, pulling her with it. By this time Jack had grabbed her arms and was pulling with all his strength. The force of the sand was too much for him and it ripped her away. He tried to follow but she was moving too quickly. At one point he grabbed her fingers and almost pulled her back – but they slipped and she fell back.

"SAM!" he yelled. He tried as hard as he could to follow her but she continued to move farther and farther away.

"JACK!" she screamed. She struggled to hold on, to pull herself forward, but the ground kept her moving away from him. She looked up in terror at Jack, begging him to help her, to save her. His agonized face returned her look – his arms outstretched.

She watched in horror as he started to fade away. One minute he had been sitting beside her – the next she could see his faint outline move away and grow dimmer. She knew, deep in her heart, that she was to continue the rest of this journey alone, without the man she loved. Her heart cried out to him in anguish.

"NO! Jack – I love you."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"I almost have him Daniel Jackson." Teal'c was breathing hard in his struggle to pull Jack away. Neither of the men could believe the strength in their friend's arms.

Daniel looked down and could see the horrific wound in Sam's chest. The sight of the bloody hole made him feel sick. He couldn't imagine the pain this would have caused. He hoped, for her sake and Jack's that she had died instantly.

As he continued to look at the body of the woman who was like a sister to him he noticed the pendant around her neck. It was the one she had worn for so many months, the one he believed had come from Jack, although she had never said anything. He was surprised to see that it was glowing faintly. As he watched, he was curious to see it begin to fade.

He could tell that Teal'c had just about managed to separate his friends from each other completely when he had a strange and terrifying thought.

"Teal'c stop!" The big man looked up at him, just as he was about to reach down to remove Jack's left hand from Sam's waist. It was the last connection between them.

"What is it? We must hurry to save O'Neill." He reached down again when Daniel repeated,

"Teal'c, don't separate them."

"Why not?" The Jaffa looked confused.

"I – don't know but look, her necklace, it's glowing."

"What does that matter?"

"As you were pulling them apart it began to fade. I don't know what it means Teal'c but I just think they need to stay together."

"Colonel Carter has already died and we need to get O'Neill help or he too will die." Teal'c was frustrated at the delay and what he saw as Daniel's imagination.

"Look Teal'c – just trust me okay. We can still ask Thor for help, I just think they need to stay together."

"What if O'Neill dies?"

Daniel didn't like to think of that but a part of him wondered if his friend would prefer to die. He knew that Jack would be destroyed by Sam's death.

"I think they're together Teal'c. I think that maybe that's what Jack wants." Teal'c looked down at the two bodies, one dead, one close to death. He looked up somberly and nodded. Gently he moved them back together and placed O'Neill's arms back around Sam. He stood up and moved to one of the panels.

"I will ask Thor to beam them to a medical pod. Maybe he can still help O'Neill."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She was crying as she took one last look at Jack. She could barely see him now. The lake, the trees, even the beach had faded. She existed in nothing but dark wilderness with no beginning and no end. She reached out to try and touch him, one final time, hoping yet knowing it was futile.

Her hands touched something warm. The next thing she knew fingers grasped her and she was being pulled forward, forward into a safe and warm refuge. Sobbing, she felt arms circle and hold her. She was home.

"I thought I'd lost you again", his voice said softly, sadly.

She was quivering with the fear and desolation of the last few minutes. "What happened?"

"I think someone was trying to pull me back."

"Back?" she looked at him in confusion.

"I think you were right. I don't think I'm dead. They were trying to bring me back." He held her closer. "I don't want to go."

At that moment she understood. He had refused to let her go as she lay dying in his arms. He'd refused to stay in his world while she moved to the next. Instead, he'd somehow brought her to this place, wherever it was. He'd created a safe haven – a time and place away where they could be together – but it wasn't real, it wasn't 'forever'.

As frightening as it was she knew that he had to return. His life wasn't over, even if hers was. He had more to do. She pulled herself away and sat in front of him.

"You have to go back."

He simply shook his head. There was no way in hell, he thought.

"Yes Jack – you aren't dead. You're still alive. You must go back."

"No, I won't do it. We'll stay right here. This is a nice place." He looked around and realized he could no longer see anything. It was as if they existed in a void.

"Please Jack, you know I'm right. You have more to do. Your life isn't over. You _have_ to go back."

"You're wrong. If you're dead my life _is_ over. I won't live without you – I can't."

She sat there, wanting him with her, wanting him to stay, but she knew it was wrong. She had to convince him that his place was back in the world, not here in this place, wherever it was.

"What about the others? They need you?"

"Who? No one needs me Sam. They'll be fine without me. Oh, I know that Danny and Teal'c will feel bad about losing us both – but they'll know we're together. They're strong, they'll be okay."

"Maybe, although I think this will be harder on them than you think. And what about Molly – and what about Chris?" she said softly. Looking at his face she knew she had hit a tender spot.

"He'll be fine. He's a strong kid", he answered, although she could tell from his voice he doubted what he was saying.

"Jack, he's just lost his family. If you die that'll be another loss. He may be strong but is he strong enough to handle losing you too?"

"That's unfair Sam! He's only known me a little while. And what about me!" the cry was from his heart. He'd spent his whole life giving to others – now he just wanted to stay with Sam and yet he was to be torn from her again.

"Jack, I know you. You could never be happy if you left a little boy devastated by your death. I don't want you with me on those terms. Please, go back. We'll be together again one day, I'm sure of it."

He reached out then and gently pulled her hair back from her cheek and gently caressed her face. He sat quietly then, understanding and finally accepting. He stared into her eyes, memorizing everything about her in this last moment. He could feel his heart begin to shatter, but knew she was right. He had to go back, not for himself, but for his friends and especially for the little boy who needed him.

He knew then that the last few months would seem as nothing compared to what he now faced. He also knew it didn't matter. This was who he was, who Sam was. They could do nothing less.

With a small cry from deep in his soul he reached out and drew her to him for one last kiss.

"I love you Samantha."

"I love you too - always."


	16. Irresistible Force

_**Okay – just because you're all such amazing reviewers (and you begged so nicely!) – here's a quick update.**_

The two intertwined bodies disappeared in a flash of light.

"Oh thank God, Thor's got Jack. I hope he can save him." Daniel leaned back against the consol, exhausted with everything that had happened. He knew too that part of the tiredness was caused by grief, although Sam's death hadn't truly sunk in yet.

He didn't know how Jack was going to handle her loss. He worried that this would destroy his friend - and a small part of him hoped that Jack could go and be with Sam, wherever she was.

A much larger part, however, hoped and prayed that his friend would be okay. He couldn't imagine a world without Jack O'Neill.

He looked over at Teal'c and could tell his friend was feeling just as 'shell-shocked' as he was. They were going to have to be there for each other as both of them were facing a long, painful road ahead.

"Tea- " without warning Daniel rematerialized in another room, Teal'c standing beside him. "What?" he looked around, confused.

"Hello Dr. Jackson." He realized that Thor had beamed them to another part of the ship.

"Where are Molly and Chris?" he asked, concerned for the two who had so innocently gotten involved in this terrible adventure.

"I have sent them back to Molly's house. Colonel Davis is there and will look after them. I did not think it wise to let young Christopher see O'Neill or Colonel Carter at this time."

Daniel and Teal'c both nodded, relieved that the young boy was out of it for now. Suddenly, off in one corner Daniel could see a pod – a larger one than he was used to. He assumed Jack was inside. He wondered about Sam – whether she was still with him or whether Thor had separated them.

He turned to the pod. "How is Jack?"

"I am afraid I do not know as yet. The chamber does not seem to be working as usual, but I will give it more time."

Teal'c turned and spoke. "What have you done with Colonel Carter?"

"She is still with O'Neill. I can not separate them."

"No, his grip is very strong."

"No, I mean that as long as the pendant glows I cannot – or perhaps it is more accurate to say – I _should_ not separate them."

"Why not?" both Daniel and Teal'c looked confused.

"The pendant is connected somehow to both Colonel Carter and General O'Neill. It would be dangerous to separate them as long as the pendant glows."

"Dangerous? You mean for Jack?"

"Yes, and for Colonel Carter as well."

"But she's dead. How could it be dangerous for her."

"Surely Dr. Jackson you know that death isn't always final. There is always hope."

"Oh my God! Do you mean to tell me you can bring her back?" he asked hopefully.

"No, the Asgard do not have the ability to restore life as do the Nox – or even the Goa'uld with their sarcophagus. No, it shall be O'Neill who brings her back."

"How can he do that?"

"With the power of the Ancient ones."

"But he doesn't have any power. You removed all the knowledge from his mind. He can't do that stuff anymore."

"He does have power; how much we do not know. It appears that Angrboda reactivated the Ancient knowledge in his mind some time ago. It has been developing slowly over a number of months."

"The headaches!"

"What Dr. Jackson?" Thor turned and looked at him, slowly blinking.

"They said that Jack has been dealing with terrible headaches. He told us it was something like migraines but I bet it was the Ancient 'download'."

"Yes, that is probable. It was most likely his mind and brain trying to adapt to the influx of new knowledge and abilities. What you call this 'download' was much slower than the previous times he received the Ancient knowledge, so it appears not to have been as harmful, but it was still painful."

"When are you going to take it out?" Daniel glanced toward the pod where this time he could see the outline of two bodies.

"Take it out? To what do you refer Doctor?"

"Uh, when are you going to remove the Ancient knowledge like you did before."

Thor looked a little shamefaced. "I am sorry, I cannot. The process has gone on much too long and the knowledge has now intertwined with his most basic brain functions. To attempt to remove the knowledge would simply destroy the rest of his brain. On behalf of the Asgard people I do apologize for what has been done to O'Neill."

"But, but what does that mean? Is he going to have to go through terrible pain for the rest of his life? I mean, will he start speaking Ancient again. It'll be like we've lost him all over again."

"I cannot say at this time what the effects will be. I would think that, as his brain and body get used to the changes, the pain would diminish but I am not sure. Right now it does not matter. We do not know whether he will even survive. The wounds left by Angrboda were very serious and he is not responding as normal to our treatment."

They all turned and looked to where Jack, together with Sam, was enclosed in the small medical chamber. They could do nothing but wait.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Jack gently placed his lips against hers. Closing his eyes he took in this last moment, allowing himself to touch and smell and taste – knowing that he would have to hold these memories for a long, long time. He lips could taste the salt of tears – but from whom they came he did not know.

He began to feel the tightness in his throat, the anguish that consumed him. He could not do this, he could not leave her. But she had been right. He had no choice really. He could never leave a small child simply because of his personal desires. He had more to do back on earth – but he couldn't help but wonder why his life always seemed to revolve around terrible sacrifice?

The kiss finally ended, although both of them stood, without moving, not wanting to lose their final connection. It was Sam who eventually stepped back; away from the man she loved with all her being. She knew that right now she was the one who had to be strong. She knew that it would take but a word and he would never leave her side.

"Go now", she whispered. She couldn't take anymore.

"Sam", he cried, tears streaming from his eyes.

She reached up and gently covered his mouth with her fingers. "Please Jack, go. I can't take anymore." She stepped back, away from him. "I'll always love you."

"Oh God", he sobbed. He took a step forward, to try and follow her, but then stopped. A picture of Chris's innocent face suddenly came to focus in his mind, overlaying that of another child – one whom he had failed. Closing his eyes against the pain he nodded.

"You know I'll be back." He could barely speak to get the words out.

"I'm counting on it. I'll be here, waiting for you."

With one final, tiny nod he turned away. He didn't know where he was going, or how to get back, all he knew was that the place he had to go was away from her. He slowly took a step forward, and then another, all the while feeling her eyes on his back. He forced the cries back down, not wanting her to hear his suffering. He continued to walk forward, his body heading back towards life; his heart he left behind with the woman he loved – shattered beyond repair.

She watched him go; the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life. She desperately wanted to call out to him, to tell him to stop, to stay – but she refused to let the words leave her mouth. It took more courage than she had ever thought possible but she watched him walk away and leave her, the only thing he could do.

He was just about out of sight when she saw him pause, then stop. What was wrong? Why was he not continuing? Had something happened? For a second she felt a small bit of hope – maybe he had died – maybe he could stay? She then felt guilty. That was wrong, he had to live.

He was turning back towards her, and she could see a puzzled look on his face. As she continued to look at him she began to see that look of O'Neill determination appear in his eyes. He finally looked up and caught her eye. She saw him grin – that lopsided grin that meant Jack O'Neill was up to something. Again, hope leapt into her heart. What was happening?

As Jack had stepped away from 'Carter' – the person who was his life, he had been despairing but accepting. He had known there was only one choice, the choice to leave her and continue to live. But the farther he got from her the clearer his mind had become. Why was he so accepting of this? When had he ever just lain down and given up? That was not his way, that was not the bull-headed, stubborn SOB that had made it all these years despite the odds. Why in hell was he giving up now?

It dawned on him, at that last moment, that SG1 never let anything, not even death, stop them and he sure as hell wasn't about to let it stop him now.

He looked at Sam and could see the small bit of hope forming in her eyes. That was all he needed. He turned fully and strode back to her, as quickly as his legs would carry him. He reached out and grabbed her arms fiercely.

"NO! I will not leave you."

"But Jack", she sobbed, not wanting to deal with this again. "We agreed, you have no choice, you have to go. Please, I can't take this, just go."

"I am going."

"But, I don't understand, why did you come back?"

"Because you're coming with me." He said it as if it was a foregone conclusion. He sounded just like the old 'Colonel O'Neill', simply giving her a direct command she couldn't ignore.

"I can't Jack. You know that, you know I'm dead."

"So. When did we ever let that stop us before?" he asked confidently. "You've been dead and came back. Think how many times Daniel's been gone – heck he was gone for a whole year and came back."

"Well, technically he wasn't dead – he'd ascended."

"Hey potato, potahto! Okay then, look at me. I've been dead more times than all of you put together after my little holiday at Chez Ba'al – and here I am."

"Yes, and where exactly are you Jack?" she asked, looking around - although she was starting to feel excited.

"Hell, I don't know. But I do know you're coming back with me."

"How? How can you take me back if I'm dead? You can't raise the dead to life."

"Look, I don't know. I just know that I refuse to leave you." He reached down and grasped one of her hands and pulled her beside him. "Hang on tight – as if your life depended on it", he looked down and grinned. Leave it to Jack to joke at a time like this. "Come on, let's go."

"Okay, but I think you're crazy." She looked skeptically at the path – or lack of path – ahead, but began to walk alongside him, their hands holding on tightly to each other.

"Hey, you _know_ I'm crazy. That's why you love me so much."

"Sadly, there's some truth to that", she muttered softly to herself.

They continued to walk forward, silently, carefully, neither of them sure what they'd find, or what would happen. A couple of times she slid, or tripped and once almost lost her grip on Jack. After that he switched his hands and put one around her back while holding her hand with the other one. After that she seemed steadier.

She didn't know how long they'd been walking when she began to notice some soreness in her chest. She rubbed it a few times, thinking that maybe it was because of the exertion of walking, although that seemed strange considering how fit she was. After the third or fourth time rubbing the sore spot she glanced down at her hand and came to a sudden stop.

"What is it?" Jack looked at her in surprise. She didn't say anything, simply held up her hand, which was now covered in blood. He gasped in shock and then looked at her chest.

"Oh God", he cried. She looked down and could see the wound beginning to grow. Blood was sluggishly seeping out and running down her bare stomach. She looked at Jack in fear, which grew even more as she looked at him.

"Jack!" He looked at her worriedly. "You, your wounds are coming back too." He looked down at his bare chest and could see the gruesome scars begin to reappear. Something dripped down from his face and he quickly realized that it was his blood. He put his hand up to his head; when he brought it away it too was covered in the red liquid.

"What does this mean?" she asked.

"I think it means we're getting closer, that we're going the right way."

"They're getting worse as we continue." She pointed to their individual wounds.

"I know. We'll just have to keep going. Come on, we've both done this before. What's a little pain and blood when we have so much to look forward to?"

She looked at him, appreciating what he was trying to do, but knowing this all might prove futile.

"Jack, I died from my wounds and you were close to it. What if we make it back just to go through this all again?"

"Hey, the beach wasn't so bad was it?" he tried to sound casual but knew his voice gave him away. He was terrified as well.

"Jack!"

"Okay, look, we'll have to trust. We'll have to trust that the guys and Thor will be there for us. Maybe our buddy Thor can save us if he gets to us quickly. You didn't die instantly – so there might be time."

"You didn't die at all. You realize that they might be able to save you but not me?"

"Nope. Not gonna happen."

"Why -"

"Cause I'm not gonna _let_ it", he interrupted her. I refuse to let you die Samantha Carter. The world is not ready for that – I'm not ready for that. You'll just have to listen to me, Colonel. This is an order okay – a direct order from your superior. YOU WILL NOT DIE!" He grabbed her hand again and began to walk forward, although it was becoming increasingly difficult as he grew weaker. What was really irritating was he could see the damn cast beginning to reappear. He should have had them take the thing off days ago.

"Sir, yes, Sir!" she answered, although her voice was frighteningly weak. "Permission to ask one favor Sir?" she asked breathlessly.

"Sure Carter, anything", he answered gently.

"Could you please think me up some BDU's or something? I really don't want to show up in this bikini, especially with a hole in the middle of my chest!"

He laughed, although he barely had breath in his lungs. Yes, this was his Carter – brave as they come.

With each step their pain and weakness grew; so did the amount of blood that was shed on the ground. They were headed towards life – but there was the possibility that there would not be enough in either of them to sustain that life when they arrived.

Even as Jack struggled he knew it was worse for Sam. The wound grew larger until he could no longer stand to look at it. They had nothing with which to bind the wound although he tried ripping his pant legs and used the material to wrap around her, to try and slow the bleeding. The material was quickly saturated, but at least he no longer had to look at the horrifying hole in her chest.

He didn't even want to think about his own wounds. He was positive he was bleeding internally and his mind was beginning to play tricks on him. He knew he had some kind of brain damage from the machine, he just hoped it wasn't anything that would affect him too dramatically.

He heard a sound from beside him and Sam suddenly fell, dragging him down with her. Her eyes were almost closed, her face was paper white and her lips were blue. She didn't have much time.

"I'm sorry … Sir", she gasped quietly. "- can't … go on. Permission … to rest?"

He sat beside her, wanting to cry. Looking at her he knew there was no way she could continue. He was amazed she was even conscious – the pain must have been overwhelming. He didn't even want to think how much blood she'd lost, or what the damage to her organs was. Still, he'd promised he was going to get her back – and he refused to renege on that promise. Crawling to his knees (difficult with one leg in a cast), he reached under her and pulled her to him. 

"No Jack." she pleaded. "Just go – leave me."

"Not gonna …. happen, Carter." he answered breathlessly. He struggled to get his one good leg underneath him and pull Sam up at the same time. He could hear her whimpers as the pain the movement caused threatened to overwhelm her. He felt terrible for what he was doing, for the pain he was causing, but he knew he had to ignore her cries and continue.

It took time, time they didn't have, but eventually he was able to get to his feet, holding the dying woman.

As he stumbled forward, her now unconscious body held close, his mind started to wander. He started to wonder if she could be dying since she was already dead. He started to carry on a rather intellectual conversation with himself. At least it kept what little mind he had left off of her condition – and his.

He wished Daniel were here to talk to. He'd have an idea of what this all meant. There was probably some ancient myth that existed in 832 different cultures about this journey he and Sam were on – and Daniel would want to tell him about every single one of them. God, he missed Daniel.

And then there was Teal'c – boy could he use his friend's strength and calmness right about now. He could hear the 'former' Jaffa's voice reminding him that 'you are strong, O'Neill – you will make it through this." The voices of his friends – existing only in his mind – or so he thought - were soon all he could hear as he took each step closer back to their world.

Finally, however, it grew to be too much. He knew he could continue no further. His body would no longer do what he told it to do. The pain and the weakness were victorious. With a silent cry – he had no energy left to even make a sound – he fell to the ground, Sam held closely against his heart.

"I tried, Sam, I tried. At least we're still together." As he faded into unconsciousness, or maybe it was death, he didn't see the one thing that might have given hope. He didn't see the pendant begin to glow with a vibrant light.

_**So, I hope everyone is a little bit happier …..!**_


	17. A Little Something

"Something's happening Thor." Daniel was looking at the pod and could see a series of lights flashing.

"I know Dr. Jackson." Thor was busy at the controls. He then hurried over to the medical chamber and touched something on it. Daniel and Teal'c stood by nervously, not wanting to disturb him but desperate to know what was going on.

Eventually Thor stopped, simply looking at the pod. Teal'c approached quietly.

"What is happening? Is O'Neill alright?"

The Asgard turned to the two men, almost as if surprised at their presence. He had been so intent on what he was doing that he had forgotten, for a moment, that they were there.

"Colonel Carter is showing signs of life - " Daniel moved over to the pod quickly, before Thor had had a chance to finish what he was saying.

"What! Are you telling us she's alive?"

"It appears so, although her life signs are weak. I was attempting to assist with the work of the medical pod and she seems to have stabilized. She should heal, although it may take some time."

Neither Daniel nor Teal'c were able to respond, both of them shocked and relieved. It took a couple of minutes before either was able to speak.

"What about Jack?" The news about Sam was so good they were sure everything was now going to be fine.

"He is fading." Thor answered shortly.

"What? Fading? What do you mean by 'fading'?" Daniel sputtered.

"His life force, it seems to be weakening. I have tried everything but nothing seems to help. I do not understand it." Thor shook his head and again walked over to the pod. He again attempted to adjust some controls but clearly to no effect. As he glanced down at the two humans in the chamber he realized that the pendant was glowing brightly – more brightly than he had ever seen it before.

"Look", he showed the two men standing behind him. "The stone, it is glowing."

"What does that mean?" Teal'c was frustrated, wanting to do something, anything to help.

"I believe it connects Colonel Carter and O'Neill. He may have used it to bring her back to life and now to heal her."

"But what about himself? Why isn't he healing?" Daniel thrust his fingers through his hair, wanting to scream at the unfairness of everything.

"Do you not remember Daniel Jackson?" quietly asked Teal'c. "The Ancient ones can heal others – but not always themselves. I believe too that he is using his life force for Colonel Carter."

"We can't let him die. We've got to save him."

"I am afraid the only way to do that would be to separate them, but Colonel Carter is not yet well enough to survive without his help." The three looked on, not knowing what was going to happen – but each praying, in his own way, for a miracle.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The last thing Sam had remembered was collapsing in agony, too tired and in too much pain to go on. She had thought that it was truly the end – that if she hadn't been dead before, she was now. It was a surprise, therefore, when she started to regain consciousness. She could feel the soft thump, thump under her ear and it only took a moment to realize she was lying with her head on someone's chest. She slowly lifted her head and was unsurprised to find out it was Jack's. With a soft sigh she put her head back down, enjoying the closeness and the lack of pain.

It was only as she lay there that she began to notice that the heart beats under her seemed to be growing softer and farther apart. What was going on? 

She finally lifted herself completely and sat back, feeling weak but much better. She looked down and was amazed to see that her chest was almost completely healed – how, she didn't know. Next she glanced around quickly to discover that they were still in the same 'void' they had been in before her collapse – but she did notice it seemed a bit lighter – as if there was something ahead.

Looking down at Jack he simply appeared to be asleep until she noticed how slowly he was breathing and how pale was the color of his skin.

"Jack", she touched him gently. "Jack", she spoke a bit more loudly but still he didn't wake up. She started to worry, concerned that something was terribly wrong. What if he had saved her only to die himself? The thought was too horrible to contemplate.

This time she reached down and shook him, again calling his name. His breathing stopped and then started again. She was debating what to do when his eyes began to drift open. She could tell they lacked focus and that he didn't have a clue where he was. Soon however, she could see his expression change and he looked directly at her.

"You …kay?", he asked.

"I think I'm fine Jack. What about you?" She was increasingly worried. He looked awful and was clearly having trouble focusing.

"- kay." He answered, although the word was so slurred she could barely tell what he had said.

"We've got to go Jack. Come on, we have to get you back."

"Ba-?"

"Yes, we've got to get back."

" – kay", he answered again, but his eyes began to close. There was no way she could carry him and she looked frantically for some other way to help him.

"Jack!" she tried again to wake him up. He opened his eyes for a second time but it took even longer for him to respond to her. She began to wonder about the wounds in his head – he was reacting almost as if he'd had a severe concussion.

"Jack, you have to listen to me." She spoke slowly and clearly. "We have to move. Can you get up? I'll help you."

"Up?" he glanced around, confused.

"Yes." Sighing, she reached behind his back and attempted to pull him to a seated position. He let out a short scream and tried to push her away.

"No… hurts!" He wrapped his arms around his stomach. It was only then that she noticed that his abdomen was distended and the skin looked hot. God, he had internal injuries. Why hadn't the idiot told her? Suddenly she had a terrible sense of déjà vu.

"Jack, I know it hurts – I'm sorry – but we have to go, you have to get up." He shook his head, refusing to move. He didn't understand what was happening.

"General! Chris needs you. Daniel and Teal'c need you. You have to get up." That did it of course. If there was anything that would make Jack O'Neill do something he didn't want to it was the idea that those he cared about were in trouble and needed him.

With a groan he rolled over to his side and slowly pushed himself to his knees. She helped as much as she was able until he was standing upright. Well, in actual fact it wasn't _quite_ upright. He was listing to the side pretty dramatically. She knew if it weren't for her he'd have fallen right over.

"That's it Sir. We've got to move – I'll help you okay?"

"Mmmm" he managed to start moving and hobbled along at her side, much of his weight leaning on her. God, she didn't know if she was going to make it. She could tell the moment he began to droop, the weakness beginning to overtake him.

"So help me Sir, if you die I'm going to kill you! And remember, I'll follow you and next time it'll be _my _version of heaven. Just remember those itsy, bitsy little Speedo's!"

For some strange reason that seemed to motivate him enough to get him to move. As she walked with him, supporting him the whole way, her free hand snuck up to grab the pendant, her good luck charm. Oddly it seemed to give her a surge of energy and she was able to take more of his weight and hurry them along a little faster.

Time had lost all meaning. She felt like they'd been moving forever, with no clear idea of where they were going. It therefore happened suddenly, without her realizing. One moment they were walking in a dark space with no end in sight – the next they had come to what looked like some kind of gossamer curtain. She reached out and touched it. It was like touching a cloud – it moved but she could feel nothing. But she could hear sounds – it was as if people were talking distantly, through thick cotton. She didn't know what they were saying but somehow she knew she had to reach those voices.

"I think this is it Sir." She looked at Jack and he looked back at her, confused, unfocused, but with a look of total trust. He didn't know what was happening any more – but he believed in her, believed that she would save him. That was enough for her. She reached out and together they walked through the curtain.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She opened her eyes to see Daniel and Teal'c – and Thor – all looking down at her. Daniel had tears running down his cheeks and Teal'c looked – emotional? What was going on?

"Jack!" she squeaked. Her throat was so dry she could barely talk.

"Do not worry Colonel Carter, he is with you. He is fine at the moment." She felt silly as soon as he said the words because Jack was clearly wrapped around her, his arms holding her tightly. In fact, she was having a little trouble breathing.

"Uh, help guys?" she scratched out. Looking startled, Teal'c reached down and pulled Jack's arm away, allowing her to take a deep breath. He looked somewhat surprised at how easy it had been.

"How are you feeling Sam?" Daniel reached out as if to touch her but then pulled his hand back as if unsure as to whether she'd welcome his touch. She smiled and reached out to him, taking his hand.

At that instant Thor showed up with a container of water, which she drank greedily. Handing it back she smiled.

"Uh, not too bad Daniel." She looked down at Jack, concerned that he hadn't as yet opened his eyes. "Uh Thor, when will the General wake up?"

"I do not know Colonel Carter. His wounds have not yet healed. I am working on it but the medical pod seems to be experiencing some difficulties." He continued to fiddle with various controls.

"Sam?" She turned to look at Daniel. "Sam, do you know you were ah - "

"Dead?" When he nodded she smiled. "Yes, we figured that out."

"We?" both of her teammates looked confused.

"Jack and I. We were together – he'd taken us to a beach - " at that she suddenly gasped and looked down. Thank God! She was dressed in regular clothes, although someone had removed her shirt and had covered her upper body with a sheet. She quickly peaked beneath it to make sure the wound was still gone.

"A beach?"

"Yeah – I think it was kind of his 'heaven' at least that's what we thought. We realized that I'd been killed and Jack – well, he followed me. We were going to stay there – it was beautiful Daniel, Teal'c; but we both knew he wasn't supposed to be there, that he wasn't dead. I, I tried to send him away, to send him back but he wouldn't leave without me. He dragged me most of the way back even though I was dying. I don't know what happened. I remember not being able to go on and then the next thing I knew I'd woken up and I was healed. Jack was in bad shape though; we barely made it back." She looked down again at the man she loved. He looked so ill.

"We figured Jack would save you." Daniel began to speak. "Thor says he has some of the Ancients powers again. It turns out that Angrboda activated them a few months ago. That's probably what's been giving him the headaches. Anyway, his powers, combined with your necklace, allowed him to heal you."

"My necklace?" she reached down and grasped it unconsciously but instantly noticed it was no longer warm or glowing.

"It is a special stone, Colonel Carter. When touched by an Ancient it will bring protection to whomever it is given. We believe it assisted him in making you well."

"But what about him? Can't it help him?"

"Sam, you know that the Ancients' healing power could be used on others but not on themselves. I don't think Jack can heal himself, with or without the necklace."

"No! There is no way he's going to bring me back and then leave me here." With determination Sam moved around until she was kneeling beside the General, in the very cramped space of the pod. She reached down and put her hand on his face. She couldn't help but notice the terrible wounds which still covered him.

With her other hand she reached up and held the pendant. She closed her eyes and reached out, with everything she had.

"Jack." she called in her mind. "Come on, you're here somewhere. Get your butt over here and talk to me!" She was going to call again when she heard a noise.

"What? What do you want Carter? I'm trying to sleep here."

"No you're not – you're lying there planning to die. I know you! You think you've brought me to safety so now you can just slip away. Well, like you so recently said to me '_**it ain't gonna happen**_ or I will so follow you!_**'**_

There was silence for a minute or two and then a hesitant voice said "Speedo?"

"You're damn right. I'm gonna make you prance around the beach dressed in nothing but that – and I'm gonna make sure that beach is _filled_ with women!"

"Sam?" he asked, still unsure, still hesitant.

"What?" she answered quietly.

"I'm afraid."

"Afraid? Why?"

"I – I think she did something to me."

"Who?"

"Angry – that Asgard. I think she's caused some permanent damage. I don't wanna live like that."

"Jack, we can deal with whatever has happened. Thor is here – he can help, the Tokra can help – hell, maybe we can even get the Nox to help. Whatever happens I'll be right by your side so please, come back to me."

"I don't want to be a burden." he sounded so broken she wanted to cry.

"A burden? Jack O'Neill, you will _never_ be a burden. A pain in the ass – maybe – but a burden, never. Even if there are some effects we'll deal with them together. We can both retire and spend the rest of our lives up at your cabin, fishing."

"I know this great little beach ….." She laughed, not quite sure how she felt about that place. Somehow she thought that was a place for later, years and years later.

"So, are you going to come back to us now? Daniel and Teal'c have been waiting for a long time – and you know what Teal'c is like when he's impatient!"

"Okay – will you hold my hand?"

"Of course."

"Will you give me a kiss?"

"Of course."

"Will you love me even if I'm a vegetable?"

"You're not going to be a vegetable – and I'll always love you."

"Will you cook my meals and wash my clothes?"

"Don't push it General!"

"Okay", he sighed, "I guess I'll come back." There was another long silence. "Sam?"

"What Jack?"

"Uh, how do I do that?"

"I'm not sure. I think maybe you just open your eyes."

"I don't have to click my heels together three times and say 'there's no place like home?'"

"Well, you can try, although you've lost your red slippers – and what about Toto?"

"I don't look good in red anyway – and Daniel can be Toto."

"Alright General – on the count of three let's both open our eyes. One, two, three."

The first thing Jack saw were Sam's eyes – they were as beautiful as always, but now they were swimming in tears. He reached up weakly and cupping her face with his hand, rubbed a tear away with his thumb. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand.

"Hey Jack, how ya doing buddy?" He slowly moved his eyes to the side where he could vaguely see Daniel and Teal'c. He attempted to smile but felt too weak, too listless. He knew something was still wrong, but at least he was back. The next thing he knew he felt Sam's lips touching his.

"I promised to give you a kiss. You're going to be okay Jack, don't worry." Smiling, he closed his eyes and slept.

Over the next couple of days Sam refused to leave Jack's side. Thor had a cot and some chairs transported up and made sure she had adequate food. Daniel arranged for her suitcase to be sent up so at least she could change her clothes.

The two men returned to the planet to update Davis and let Molly and Chris know what was going on. They downplayed how sick Jack was, although Daniel had a suspicion that Molly had figured it out. As far as Chris was concerned his 'best friend' would be back soon.

With Thor's assistance they were able to discover details of the plot against O'Neill. Angrboda had kept everything on her ship – and Holler was able to add quite a bit of information. It turned out that four of the High Council _were_ involved. Thor contacted the High Councilor and word was soon sent back that the guilty ones had been arrested and were awaiting trial.

As for the humans who had been kidnapped, it turned out that they were being held on a small, uninhabited planet. They had been provided with enough to keep them alive but many of them were still very frightened, not having understood what was happening. The government was going to provide assistance to all of them.

As for Jack, his condition had not changed much. He was no longer in danger of dying, but he didn't seem to be improving either. Thor had not said too much but Sam could tell that things didn't look good. The internal injuries were healing, although slowly. It was the trauma to his brain that was worrying everyone. There had been quite a bit of tissue damage and they had no way of knowing what, if any long-term effects there would be.

She sat, hour after hour, holding his hand, talking to him, telling him how much she loved him. Thor was keeping him in a coma so she didn't know if he heard her or not – but it didn't matter. She had told him she would be there for him and she meant it. She was never, ever going to leave him again.

"Sam", Daniel's voice came to her softly. "You have to rest." She just shook her head; there was lots of time for rest when Jack was better.

"Come on, you'll make yourself sick and what good will you be to him then?" As she continued to ignore him Daniel walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Sam, you know he might never come out of this? He might never get any better." As much as he didn't want to say it he knew she had to face reality. He'd spoken with Thor who had said as much.

She turned on him swiftly, anger written across her face. "I thought you'd learned Daniel."

"Learned what?" he asked in surprise.

"I thought you'd learned to trust him, to believe in him. We gave up on him too quickly last time, drugs or no drugs. I will not do it to him again. I believe in him Daniel. I believe he's going to get better – that our Jack will come back to us – and I'm not leaving here until that happens."

"Sam, this isn't about belief or trust – this is about a man who was seriously injured and who may not get better. I believe in him, I trust him, I just don't think there's anything he can do about this. It's beyond his control."

"No. No it's not. You see, I know Jack O'Neill. I know he'll never give up. If he wouldn't let a little something like 'death' stop him then he sure as hell isn't going to let a brain injury keep him down. He'll be back, I promise you."

"Sam!"

"Hey, can't you … two … keep it down? How's a man to … sleep?" the voice was soft, so soft that the two standing over him, arguing, almost missed it. Two pairs of eyes turned towards him swiftly, unsure whether or not they had imagined him speaking.

"Jack!" both voices shouted at once. "You're awake!"

"Yeah – surprise, surprise! You two could wake the dead." He was still having trouble getting the words out, but that was due more to weakness and a dry throat than anything.

"No Jack", Sam spoke quietly, "Waking the dead is your gig. I just give the living a good swift kick in the butt."

He slowly grinned up at her, acknowledging the truth in her words. If it hadn't been for her he would have given up. He looked over towards Daniel, who was still sporting a shocked look on his face.

"Good to see you Danny Boy. How's everything?"

"Oh God Jack", he walked over and reaching down, clasped Jack's hand. "It's so good to see you. We all thought you and Sam were finished." There was so much he wanted to say to his friend but he could tell that the man was tired. Jack's eyes began to droop but still he gave a small smile.

"Good to see you … too – both of you."

"Sleep now my love", she gently stroked his hair. "Sleep and everything will be fine." Closing his eyes he rested, safe and secure and surrounded by the love of his friends.

_**Now everyone should be happy! More to come however … hope you're still enjoying! **_


	18. Everybody Needs a Baba

***_Baba - Ukrainian for Grandma_**

Over the next few days things continued to improve for O'Neill. He spent much of his time sleeping, but during the short time he was awake he was able to speak coherently to his friends. Still, things weren't 100 percent yet - according to Thor there were still areas that had as yet to heal. Whether or not they would was anyone's guess.

The Asgard insisted that Jack stay in the pod as it was helping, although only in small ways, with his recovery. After he'd complained loudly about how uncomfortable it was, Sam had arranged to bring pillows and blankets. She'd also asked Daniel to bring some clean sweats for him to wear.

The one good thing about his complaining was that it meant he was on the road to recovery – even though it was a slow journey. It was when he was quiet that they grew concerned, knowing that he was feeling depressed or worried. Sam tried to speak to him about what was bothering him, but he would always claim he was fine. She was ready to strangle him.

"Jack?" He had just woken up from a long nap and she figured now was a good time to see if she could get anything out of him. He was still sleepy and he hadn't had time to put his defenses up.

'Hmmm." He murmured, groggy from his sleep.

"Something's bothering you. Won't you tell me what it is?" He glanced quickly at her and she could immediately see the mental shutters slamming shut. All of them had seen that he was starting to shut them out again. That, for some reason, he was turning away from all of them – including her. She was damned if she was going to let that happen.

"I'm fine Sam. Just need to get out of this dam pod and go home, then everything'll be okay."

"No Jack, please don't lie to me. There _is _something wrong, something's bothering you. You know I won't say anything to anyone, I just want to help."

Before she'd even finished he was shaking his head, denying there was anything. He turned his eyes away from her and stared at the ceiling.

"Don't you trust me?" she had to ask. Maybe that's what this was all about. Even though he had told her he loved her there was an awful lot of baggage they hadn't dealt with yet.

"Of course I trust you." He answered shortly. She could tell he was starting to get angry.

"I can understand if you don't, after what we did to you."

"It wasn't your fault, I get that. Now can we please not talk about this?" He rolled to his side, away from her. It was still a struggle for him to move, something Thor said was as a result of the brain injury. They all hoped it would soon start to improve.

"I think we have to. Look, you went through months thinking that the people you were closest to in the whole world had betrayed you. Then you're kidnapped and 'experimented' on. I think you have a lot to deal with, but you don't need to do it by yourself; we're here for you."

"Are you?" he asked softly. She felt her breath hitch. She was right, he was still angry over what had happened.

"Of course", she answered, equally as softly. "Jack, I feel terrible and so do Daniel and Teal'c over what did. Even though technically it wasn't our fault we'll always feel guilty. We hurt you terribly, even if unintentionally, and that's something I regret to the bottom of my heart. But you have to know that I would never, ever do anything like that again. I'd die for you Jack, you know that. We have something wonderful, don't let that go, not now, not when we're so close."

He was silent, not moving. She felt like she was on the edge of a precipice – that the slightest wrong move could send her over and that would be the end of any chance of a life with this man. She didn't know what more she could say or do so she just waited.

He knew he was being a bastard. He admitted, deep in his heart, that she was right, she'd never betray him, at least not intentionally. And yet a part of him remained bitter and angry. He thought back to the last six months of hell knowing that he had been close, many times, to giving up. Even though it was unfair, there was still a part of him that was still terribly hurt that he'd been left alone, lost and afraid.

But that was only part of his problem. Even though he was better, and was no longer in danger of dying, he knew that he was not completely healed. The worse part of all is he was sure he never would be.

He had changed and he didn't know if he could deal with those changes. Part of it was the damage done by Angrboda – which he was almost positive was permanent. Oh, he didn't think it had impaired his intellect – but he felt weak down the entire left side of his body. He figured he had experienced something like a stroke, although no one was saying anything to him.

If that had been all maybe he could have dealt with it. No, what was really bothering him was that he felt like his mind was changing. Whatever that crazy Asgard had done had altered something essential in him. He was terrified as to what he would eventually become.

All of these thoughts and feelings were going round and round in his mind until he thought he was going mad. He didn't know what to say to anyone because he couldn't even figure out what he was feeling. He felt guilty for his remaining anger but it didn't make it go away. Throw in a good dose of fear and he had retreated back into himself. As he lay there, desperately wanting to reach out to someone – or to Sam in particular – he knew that he couldn't. Instead he tried to close out everything and shut himself off from his friends. Maybe he was better alone.

When it became obvious that Jack wasn't going to say anything Sam stood up. She could feel the tears begin to form but she refused to let them fall. She'd shed too many in the last few days, weeks and months. She didn't think she could take much more.

"Goodbye Jack", she said quietly. When he still didn't respond she turned and left the room. She'd ask Thor to send her back to earth. She needed some time alone.

They'd all been camping out at Molly's, waiting for Jack to improve enough to be sent home. There was something about this tiny little house that was incredibly healing for all of them.

"Samantha!" Molly was surprised to see the younger woman appear in her living room, although she had started to get used to the 'popping in and out' of people. It wasn't her method of arrival that shocked the older woman, it was that she was here at all. Sam had been spending all her time with Jack and it was still early afternoon.

"How come you're back? Is Jack okay", she asked with a worried frown.

"He's fine Molly. I just needed a break." She tried to give the older woman a smile, although it came out a bit wobbly. "If it's okay I thought I'd take a nap."

Molly looked at her for a second. "No, I don't think you need a nap Samantha. I think you need a friend." Sam started to shake her head and then laughed at herself. She was doing a 'Jack O'Neill'.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Molly reached out and took her hand and led her to the couch. Sitting beside her she held Sam's hands tightly.

"Okay young lady. Tell me what's wrong?" So Sam spent the next hour talking to Molly, telling her everything. She told her of the years they'd worked together; how their feelings for each other had grown but they couldn't do anything about them. She talked about how they had been getting to know each other as friends and possibly more, how wonderful and exciting it had been. Finally, she told of their betrayal and search for Jack.

"And now he's turning away from me again. I thought everything was fine, was great even. He told me how much he loved me; that he'd never leave me. I told him the same. I mean, he brought me back from the dead! Now he's lying there angry, he won't talk to any of us other than to say he's fine. I don't know what to do anymore Molly. Part of me wants to shake him and the other part just wants to leave. I don't know if I can take anymore."

"Do you really?"

Sam looked at her, confused. "Do I really what?"

"Want to leave?" she asked calmly. "Are you really prepared to walk away and never see him again?"

Sam sat, not saying anything for a couple of minutes, thinking about what her life would be like without Jack. A feeling of desolation washed over her and the tears that she'd worked so hard to suppress, began to gather in her eyes.

"No. No, I can't leave him. He's my life. But I don't know what to do anymore Molly. How can I reach him? How can I help him?"

"Maybe you can't."

"What? But … what are you saying?"

"Maybe you're too close to everything. I'm sure he's frightened and you're right, he probably is still angry. Oh, he knows logically that none of you were to blame, but he dealt with that betrayal for many months. It's difficult to just let go of it like that, even if he knows he has no reason to hold on to those feelings. As for the fear – well, from what you've told me he was pretty seriously injured and there's a possibility that he won't get 100 percent better. I think he'd find that pretty terrifying. He strikes me as a man used to being in control. I don't think he quite knows how to deal with everything that's happened."

Sam took a deep breath, realizing that Molly was right. It all made sense and she could even have some sympathy for the man. She still wanted to strangle him though! Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"I don't think you're the one to deal with this Samantha." Molly said gently. "You're too close to it, too close to Jack. I'm sure a lot of his fears are wrapped up in what this all means for you as well. The last thing he'd ever want is to hurt you. No, I think this requires a secret weapon!"

"Secret weapon?" Sam said, bemused.

"Mmmm Hmmm – one 81 year old, 90 pound Ukrainian Baba*! Everyone needs a baba sometimes and I think this calls for one." She stood up – all 4'8" of her. "Have Mr. Thor 'beam me up'. I'm going to have a little talk with that boy of mine!"

Sam looked at the little fireball in front of her and couldn't help but grin. If anyone could get through the defenses of a stubborn Irish General, it was a tiny Ukrainian grandmother!

Molly admitted to herself that she didn't think she was ever going to get used to this 'beaming' – or the fact that she was talking to a little grey alien. She just wished she could tell her bridge club about this!

As she walked in to the room where Jack lay sleeping in the 'pod-thing', all it took was one look at him to know she was needed. Even in sleep he looked worried and ill.

She sat in the chair by his bed and watched him as he continued to sleep. He was such a dear man, such a good man. But he was tormented by too many demons. Sam had told him a bit about what he'd been through and of course Chris had told her about his son Charlie.

Molly was a God-fearing woman and believed, to the bottom of her soul, that this man had been sent to them. He had brought joy back into her grandson's life – and to hers. She had thought for a time, after the death of her child, that she couldn't go on. Then Chris had come to live with her. Things had improved but she had spent too much time worrying over what would happen to him in the event of her death. Well, she'd prayed for a miracle – and God had sent her a 6'2" one. She just had to straighten him out a bit first!

She could tell that he was starting to wake up when she saw him take a deep breath. Soon his eyes opened, but he didn't look to see if anyone was with him. It was as if he knew he was all alone. The expression of desolation on his face was heartbreaking. She couldn't take it.

"Jack, my boy!" she said cheerfully. "How are you feeling? It looks like you could use some more fattening up again." He'd looked over at her in shock the moment she'd started to speak. This was the first time he'd seen her since they'd been brought to Angrboda's ship.

"Molly! What are you doing here?" he asked, pleased to see the old lady.

"Well, I heard you wouldn't talk to your team so I thought I'd come and see what was going on."

He grew silent at her words and began to turn away. Not her too, he thought.

Suddenly two small hands grabbed either side of his face and turned him back to look at her. He didn't want to pull away, afraid he'd hurt this tiny woman.

"Now, none of that Jack O'Neill. I hear you're being silly and I will not put up with that. You are going to listen to me and then you're going to talk to me. If you don't, why …" she reached into the big purse she was carrying and pulled out a wooden spoon and shook it at him. He stared at it in astonishment – then his sense of humor got the better of him and he started to laugh. Soon he was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach.

Oh, he knew it really wasn't that funny, but he'd needed the release and this dear woman was just the one to bring it.

Molly watched indulgently while her adopted son continued to chortle over her little joke. She was relieved that he could still laugh. It meant there was hope!

"So, if you're finished let's have a talk. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours General? Why are you suddenly turning away from your friends? They love you dearly you know? They're all hurting over your coldness, especially Sam."

Jack desperately wanted to turn away and hide, as he'd done with Sam. He couldn't talk about his fears, it would make them seem real. Still, he knew, looking at Molly, that she wouldn't leave him alone until he'd spilled something. He decided he'd tell her the bare minimum and hoped she'd be satisfied with that.

Little did he know that Molly had his measure. She hadn't known Jack O'Neill for long, but she knew him as well as she'd known her own husband or child. She was not going to let him get away with hiding from her, not if she could help it.

So, Jack began to haltingly tell her the story of the supposed 'betrayal' of his friends and how he'd felt (editing that part fiercely). He told about the wandering aimlessly, the lack of desire or purpose in life. He then told of how he'd realized that Sam still loved him, how she'd sacrificed her own life for his. He talked finally about their experience at the 'beach' and their struggle to make it back to this world.

"I thought everything would be fine – but Molly, I still feel angry and hurt. I know it's not reasonable, not right. It wasn't their fault, I know that, but I can't seem to stop myself."

"Have you gotten angry at them?" she asked.

"Angry? No, at least not since I left the hospital. How can I? They don't deserve my anger."

"Deserve? No, they don't but then you didn't deserve what happened to you either. It was unfair all around. Maybe you need to tell them exactly how you felt, how you're still feeling. You might even need to yell and shout a bit. And then you have to listen to how they feel. I think they're feeling a bit angry at you too."

"Angry? What do they have to feel angry about?" he said, struggling to pull himself up.

"Well, you disappeared, didn't you? You didn't give them the chance to come and apologize, you didn't try and defend yourself, did you? I think you know, and they know as well, that you did what you did partly to punish them. You could have gone off by yourself without all of this 'hiding' but you knew they'd worry and feel terrible as soon as they realized you weren't guilty. So, I think you all have some feelings to get out. I expect that when you do you'll all feel much better."

"What! Is that the 'Molly Simkiew' method? We'll just yell and scream and then kiss and make up?" he asked sarcastically. He could fight fire with fire – or sarcasm in this case.

"Well, it's certainly better than the Jack O'Neill method – ignore it until your friends all go away. Are you determined to end up all alone?"

He looked furious at this and she knew she was getting to the heart of the matter.

"YES!" he shouted. "It's better that way."

"Better. Why is it better?" she asked, continuing to push him.

"Because that way no one will get hurt. I won't hurt my friends and they …" he voice faded, "and they won't hurt me." He lay back down and closed his eyes.

Molly felt terrible. She wanted to reach out and take this wounded man in her arms, but she knew that wasn't what he needed right now.

"So, you're afraid! You're afraid that if you open yourself up again you might be hurt, is that right?" she asked.

After a short silence he answered. "Yeah, I guess that's right."

"Well, guess what? You will be. You will be hurt again, that's the nature of love and of friendship. All of us are hurt at times by those we love but you know what? It works out because sometimes we _hurt_ those we love. Sometimes the hurt is unintentional and other times each of us intends to hurt the other. But you know what else? That's why God invented forgiveness! When you truly love someone and they love you there's always that forgiveness. Hurt doesn't mean the end of love, it just means we all pick ourselves up and try harder until the next time we hurt or are hurt." She stopped and reached down to him again as he tried to turn away.

"Jack, being alone the rest of your life won't take away any and all pain – but it will take away any and all love or joy. You can go off and be alone – go to that cabin I've heard so much about from Teal'c and Daniel. You can fish all day long, but those fish won't bring you much comfort all alone at night."

He looked at this tiny woman and knew she spoke the truth – he'd known it all along – but there was still one thing holding him back, one thing he didn't think he could tell her.

As she looked at him she could see his anger turn to sorrow. She realized that he knew what she said was the truth, yet something was still wrong. What was it?

"Jack?" she reached down and took his hand. "Tell me." She held on tightly, knowing that it could go either way. He might speak and tell her what else was affecting him so deeply or he could turn away. Whatever happened in the next couple of seconds would mean the difference between a life of joy for Jack and Sam – or a life of loneliness for both of them.

He began to pull his hand away. He needed to move, to get away. He couldn't tell her – couldn't tell anyone. It was as he gently tried to remove his hand from hers that he felt a drop of moisture. Puzzled, he wondered what was happening. It was only as he looked up that he realized this strong little woman – who had been through so much – was crying. She was crying for him. That was all it took. He knew, at that moment, that too many hearts would be broken if he were to leave, to continue to close himself off.

Clutching her hand tightly he brought it to his cheek and then kissed it. He wanted to reach out with his other hand, to wipe the tears from her eyes, but he couldn't.

"I don't want to be a burden." He said in a thin voice.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"Something's wrong with me Molly. I – the wounds I received have done some permanent damage, and I'm afraid."

"What kind of damage Jack?" she asked, frightened for him.

"Brain damage." He said, finally uttering the words out loud.

"But it can't be anything too bad, I haven't noticed anything and the others certainly haven't said anything."

He tried to lift his left hand but could barely bring it more than a couple of inches off the mattress. "My whole left side is mostly paralyzed. I can barely move."

She stared at him for a moment and then spoke. "Jack, it's too soon to know what the effects are going to be. You may need therapy and you may never be the same as you were but that doesn't mean you're not you. Do you think any of us will love you less because half of you isn't physically as strong as the other half? Don't be silly."

"Molly, that's not all." Before she had a chance to interject he continued. "They've told you what this is all about right?" she nodded. "Well, the Asgard who kidnapped me did something to me. She activated something in my brain and it's changing. I, I can feel that I'm different – that my mind isn't the same as it was."

"How is it not the same?" she asked, seriously worried now.

"I can't explain it. It's like it's 'expanding' or something. Some days I wake up and it feels like my mind is full, that it'll explode if there's any more 'added' to it. Then, the next day I'll feel fine. And I keep thinking things, things I didn't know before. It's like everything makes sense to me now – that stuff I didn't understand now seems so simple. I'm sorry, I know I'm not explaining it well. I don't even get it myself. I just know that I'm not _me_ anymore!"

"Piffle!"

"What?" he asked, shocked.

"I said piffle – and I meant piffle! That's the most utter nonsense I've ever heard. According to what Mr. Thor said – and yes, he told us a bit of this – your mind is filling with some Ancient knowledge. Your brain is taking in more information and abilities all the time. That is why you're feeling the way you're feeling. But knowledge doesn't mean you're a different person. So, you'll probably be smarter than the rest of us – at least as far as book learning is concerned – but you're still a stubborn, pig-headed idiot! But you're also a dear sweet man who cares more for others than yourself. You're still _you!_ I suggest you talk to Sam and to Mr. Thor about all this. They're better equipped to tell you what this means but I do know that Mr. Thor didn't seem too worried by it."

He looked at her in wonder. How was it that she made everything seem so – _reasonable_ – and _simple_. He was still nervous and afraid but now it didn't seem insurmountable. So he'd need therapy for his weakness, he could handle that. So, he'd be smarter than everyone (hey, smarter than Carter and Daniel!) okay, he could deal with that too.

He stared at Molly, thinking how lucky he'd been to find her and Chris. As he watched her he had no idea how frightened she was at this moment. She didn't know if her words had gotten through to him or not. It was when a grin slowly started to appear on his face that she was finely able to breath a sigh of relief.

"So, no wooden spoon?" he asked.

"Well, the verdict is still out on that, but for now you're okay. Just don't be an idiot in the future. It's too much for an old lady's heart!"

Even though she was half joking Jack realized that this had, in fact, been hard on the old woman.

"Come here." He said quietly to her. He wished he could sit up properly.

"What are you up to now Jack O'Neill?"

"Just come here Molly. I can't sit up on my own yet." That's right Jack, play pathetic!

Molly looked at him suspiciously but leaned down. He pulled his head up quickly and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you Molly! You'll never know what this has meant to me." He let his head fall back down, feeling exhausted but relaxed for the first time in days.

"Piffle!" she said again, extremely touched. "You get some sleep young man!" she continued sternly, although her throat was tight from holding back the tears. "Would you like me to send anyone to see you?" she asked innocently.

He looked up at her with a very knowing look. After a few seconds he closed his eyes, not saying anything, and pretended to fall asleep. Just as he heard her begin to move away he spoke.

"Yeah, could you ask Carter to come?" He heard Molly stop. "Oh, and tell her I'm sorry for being such an idiot and that I really, really need her." He kept his eyes closed but he was sure he could _feel_ Molly smile.

"For that, young man, I'll send her right here. I might even send her back with a big piece of homemade chocolate cake!"

As she walked out of the room to where Mr. Thor would beam her back home she was sure she heard a small chuckle. He was going to be all right.

As Jack drifted off to sleep he had exactly the same thought – he was going to be just fine!


	19. Changes

_**So sorry for the lengthy delay in posting. I've been away all week at a conference in California and was too busy to write. **_

"Grandma! Did you go see Jack?" Chris had been playing happily with his Lego when Molly was 'beamed' back by Thor.

"Yes, I saw Jack."

"How come I didn't get to go? I wanna see him. It's no fair!" Chris had been feeling left out the last few days and was starting to worry that something really bad was wrong with his friend. They'd all promised that he was okay but then why didn't Jack want to see him?

Molly realized that her grandson's whining and bad behavior was simply his way of showing his worry. When you're seven you don't always know how to express your feelings. Heck, she laughed to herself, it's not just seven year olds who were having trouble with that!

Molly reached over and pulled the little boy to her, giving him a big hug. "Jack has been sick but he's getting better and I'm sure he'll want to see you real soon. Why don't I ask Sam to find out when you can visit?"

"Really?" a gap-toothed grin appeared. "Can I go today? I'll take him some of my drawings. I made pictures of other aliens. Grandma? Do you think there are other aliens besides Thor? Maybe there are snakey aliens?" Molly quickly discovered that an excited boy could be every bit as tiring as a whiny one.

"Why don't you go and ask Daniel and Teal'c? I believe they're downstairs. I'm sure they'll tell you about other aliens." She figured they were big strong men and could handle the whirlwind that was young Christopher.

She watched with real delight as Chris skipped out of the room. She'd been right. Jack O'Neill was just what this family needed!

"Molly?" Sam's voice penetrated her thoughts and she glanced up to see the young woman looking at her, anxiety in her eyes. Poor soul, thought the old woman, she's afraid she's going to lose that man of hers. Well, not if I have anything to say about it!

"How's Jack?" Sam almost didn't want to ask, afraid that the answer would be one she didn't want to hear.

"He's fine. Or at least he will be as soon as you get there."

"I don't think he wants to see me."

"That's not what he said to me. His last words were, 'tell Carter I'm sorry for being such an idiot'. He also told me to tell you to please go and see him that he – and I quote – 'really, really needs you'."

"He actually said he was sorry and that he _needs_ me?"

"Yes he did. I suggest not waiting too long though. You know him, he'll end up convincing himself you're better off without him or some idiotic thing like that."

"Did – he say anything else? Anything about what was bothering him?"

"Oh yes, he said a lot. But I don't think it's right for me to tell you. I think you need to hear it from him and, unless I'm mistaken, he's ready to talk."

"Molly, you're amazing!" Sam walked over to the tiny woman and gave her a big hug. "I wish we'd had you around years ago! Thank you." Sam stepped back and smiled at this woman who had filled a hole in all their hearts. Sam knew that in some ways Molly was the mother that all of them had lost – but whom they all desperately needed. She immediately went and found the communicator and asked Thor to bring her up to his ship. The poor alien must be feeling like that's all he did anymore!

When she arrived she had to stop for a minute before entering the room Jack. Even though Molly had told her that Jack wanted to see her she was still nervous. She wasn't sure what he was going to tell her. She just prayed it was all going to be okay. With a deep breath she walked into his room.

As soon as she entered she laughed at herself – all that angst and the man was sound asleep! Oh well, this would give her a chance to rest and watch over him. She always enjoyed having the freedom to watch him while he was unaware of her doing so. It allowed her the opportunity to let her true feelings show. There was no need to hide or be careful.

Jack slept for over an hour, obviously exhausted after his talk with Molly. Little did Sam know that getting things off his chest finally allowed Jack the opportunity to rest. He had been so worried, so angry that his sleep had been disturbed.

As he slowly began to wake up he knew instantly that Sam was here. After all these years he could 'feel' her presence. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, savoring the sense of contentment that washed over him with her here. Knowing that she could probably tell he was awake by his breathing he decided to open his eyes. He knew now was the time to open up and talk to her. Frankly, he was terrified.

"Jack?" her soft voice penetrated the fear that was building in him. He turned his head and looked at her, relaxing the instant he saw her face. Rather than anger or hurt, he saw a face filled with love and concern. God, what did he do to deserve this woman?

"Sam", he replied gently. "I'm glad you came."

"I'm glad you asked." She replied with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry about before." He looked at her for a moment but she didn't answer. He knew she was waiting for more.

"I – I was angry."

"Why?" she asked, although she was pretty sure she knew.

He closed his eyes, frightened again by what her reaction would be. He knew his feelings weren't logical, or right, but that didn't stop him from having felt hurt and angry.

"I was sure I could trust you guys and it tore me apart to find out I'd been wrong. It felt like everything I believed in had been ripped apart."

Oh boy, she thought. She would definitely have to find out what Molly had said and done. Never had she seen or heard Jack be quite so honest. She went to speak but he held up his hand, stopping her.

"I know that it wasn't your fault. I understand about the drug – but you have to know that the last six months felt like I had lost everything for the second time in my life. As much as I tell myself it wasn't real, it wasn't really a betrayal, I think it's going to take some time to get over those feelings. I'm sorry – I know you don't deserve my anger – but I wanted you to know how I was feeling."

She sat quietly for a while, contemplating what he'd said. It was logical – and not unexpected, although a part of her was angry at him in return – angry at the unfairness of it all.

"Do you think you'll ever forgive us?" she had to ask because if he couldn't then there was no point in remaining.

"Forgive you?" he asked, shocked. "Sam, I forgave you the moment you stepped in front of that weapon and died for me. This isn't about forgiveness, this is just about me feeling pissed – which I know is totally unfair. I think if I was able to get up and move around and take out some of my frustration on something other than you I'd get over it pretty quickly. This isn't something that's going to last, it's just having lived with these feelings for so long I can't suddenly feel like everything's back to normal." He paused and looked at her with a worried look. "Does that make sense?"

"I think so", she answered, and then continued. "But you didn't have to feel that way for so long. If you hadn't run away we could have dealt with this much sooner."

Jack realized Molly had been right. His friends were probably pretty mad at him but didn't allow themselves to acknowledge it out of a sense of guilt – and probably worry over his physical condition. He sighed – it was now his turn to apologize.

"I know. I was stupid – go figure, eh, Jack O'Neill, unable to deal with feelings." With a somber look in his eyes he reached over and took her hand in his good one. Holding it softly, his thumb gently rubbing the back of her hand, it took him a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally he spoke. "I'm so sorry Sam. I should have stayed, should have given you all a chance. As much as I was hurt I know that it was as hard for you. I was never good at dealing with things like this and you have to know I'm … terrified …of being betrayed. So, when it seemed like it was happening again I ran away. But running was also a way to hurt you all as much as I felt I'd been hurt. It was wrong, and I'm sorry." He stopped, hoping it was enough.

They sat like that for a long time, neither one saying anything. At least she hadn't pulled her hand away, he thought. That must be a good sign!

Finally she spoke. "I think maybe we all need to forgive each other. We were all hurt – and yes, I confess, I was angry too. But you know what? We got through this okay. We're still friends and I think we've all learned a valuable lesson. Maybe when you're better we can go to the gym and try to whup each other's ass – maybe that'll make us both feel better." She smiled, hoping that that would bring a smile to his face, but instead he simply turned away, clearly distressed.

"Jack?" she reached out with her other hand and turned his face towards her. "What is it? What's wrong?" There was something else clearly bothering him.

He bit his lip, not wanting to say anything. He was glad they'd dealt with how they were feeling but now there was the whole issue of his disability. He didn't know how to deal with it so he just jumped in.

"I don't think I'll be going to the gym."

"Okaaaay?" she responded, confused. "Why not?"

"Sam", he paused and took a deep breath "I don't think you realize … I'm not getting any better." He stopped, frightened to go on.

"What do you mean? Of course you're getting better. Oh, I know it's not as fast as you'd like but you're much better than you were. It'll just take some more time."

"I don't think so. I think this is about as good as I'm going to get. Sam, I know none of you have said too much but I knew, back in Angry's lab, that she'd done some major damage. I'm just thankful she didn't leave me a vegetable – but still, I think I'm as good as I'm going to get."

Sam could feel herself start to get angry again. Why in hell was he doing this? This was him all over again – when it came to others he'd fight to the death – and beyond. But, when it came to himself he'd run or hide, or worse, simply give up. For the first time since this whole thing started she wanted to hit the man.

Standing up she pulled her hand away and began to speak. "General, I don't know if this is it or not – you may be right, you may not get any better – but that isn't the point right now. The thing is, you've just decided this is it and you've given up." When he didn't say anything she pushed. "Isn't that right? You're not even trying to fight this thing – or see if you can get better. No, you're just gonna lie there and feel sorry for yourself." She was so mad she wanted to stomp her feet.

At that moment Sam looked down at this frustrating man and stopped. Suddenly, she realized that he looked frightened – and broken. This wasn't about giving up, this was about someone who had almost reached his limit. He'd been through so much over the last six months – hell, over the last ten years – it was not wonder that he didn't have anything left inside with which to fight.

With a soft sob she reached in and grabbed his hands. Pulling them to her face she kissed them. "I'm sorry Jack – that's unfair of me. I know it's hard but please, don't give up. I'll be here to help and so will the guys. General Hammond and the whole SGC is there for you. That doesn't even include half the aliens throughout the universe and then, of course, there's this little old lady I know and her grandson who think you're the best thing that's ever happened to them. We all love you Jack and we're going to help you get through this – we're going to help you get better."

"But what if I don't? What if I don't get any better?"

"Well then, we'll deal with it just like we've dealt with everything else. I already told you – we'll just go and retire to your cabin in Minnesota. It'll be wonderful." He looked at her seriously for a moment but then she could begin to see his face relax. He was still frightened but her confidence – and the fact that she seemed able to accept whatever happened made him feel immeasurably better.

"You'll get bored in a week."

"I will not! I'll take my computer and I'll write that book I've always wanted to write."

"I thought you finished that – you know the time we wore those armbands."

"Oh, _that_ book. Yeah, I finished it. I'm not talking about a text book – I'm talking about the novel I want to write."

"A novel?" he smiled. She was relieved to see he was starting to look a lot better.

"Yes. I've always wanted to write a novel. I'm thinking … science fiction?"

"What a great idea. I know", he said with a gleam in his eye, "you could write about evil aliens who are trying to conquer earth and take over our bodies. There'd be this team of people – well, three humans and one alien – who were all that stood between the earth and total domination! The commander would be this sexy – but smart – athletic hero. He could have a strong, silent side-kick, the uber-smart geek and of course his beautiful, blond lieutenant."

"Beautiful? Lieutenant?" she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Definitely beautiful – but okay, she could be a Captain." When she raised her eyebrows again he sighed, "Okay, _Colonel_!" He continued. "And she'd wear these really, really sexy clothes. She'd have this skin tight outfit that was short and cut down" he demonstrated on his own chest. "Yeah, she'd secretly be in love with the commander but couldn't tell him - "

"Why not?" she interrupted, enjoying the story immensely.

"Uh?" he paused for a second. "Because, it wasn't allowed!" he said triumphantly.

"Because of regulations?" she asked, a bit more seriously.

"No, because … she was an alien!" he intoned.

"An alien?"

"Yes! You see, she had four arms and her skin was blue. They could never fall in love or be together because of the children."

"The children?" she asked, starting to smirk.

"Yes. You see, if they got married the children would be born with three arms and purple skin – just think how they'd be teased. No, they could never do that to their children so they stayed forever apart." He ended dramatically, his hand held over his heart.

By this time she was laughing outright, pleased at his sense of the ridiculous. "Uh, I think I'll stick to a romance – no science fiction."

"Too bad!" He lay back down, a small grin on his face. As she looked at him her smile began to fade. She knew he'd attempted to sidetrack her with his little humorous story but she still needed to deal with his fears.

"Jack – you know, don't you, that I meant what I said. I hope for your sake that you'll get better – and I honestly believe you will. It's going to take some work, and you may never get back to 100% but it won't stop me caring about you or wanting to be with you. You have to believe that. I promised I'd never leave you and I meant it."

He reached out with his hand and took hers back. Squeezing it he smiled. "I know Sam. I hate this, you know. I want to jump up and hug you but I feel trapped. I just wish to God this hadn't happened."

"I know." They stayed silent for a long time until Jack finally realized that Sam was right and he'd just given up. Well, it was time to change that! Turning his head he began to speak.

"I want to get up Sam." He announced quietly.

"It's too so-"

"Okay, maybe today is to soon but in the next few days. I need to move around, even if only for a bit. That's the only way I'll get better."

Knowing it was true Sam told Thor. Later on that day, after Sam had returned to Molly's, she told Teal'c and Daniel some of what had happened. The next day the two men went to visit the General.

"Hi Jack."

"O'Neill."

Jack looked over and saw his two closest friends standing in the doorway, obviously hesitant about their welcome. Had he been that much of a bastard he wondered? Yeah, probably. He knew he could freeze people out really quickly when he felt like it – or when he felt particularly bad. He recognized that he had some repairing to do.

"Hi guys!" he smiled and waved them over. "Come to keep a bored General happy?"

"If that's what you want." Daniel walked over to the 'pod' but still spoke hesitatingly. Teal'c followed the archaeologist but kept silent.

"Oh yeah – I definitely want the company. Thor tries but he's just no good at 20 questions. Come on, pull up some chairs." The two men sat and looked at Jack. No one said anything for a moment.

"So, I guess I've been a jerk." Jack figured he might as well jump right in. The others looked startled. It dawned on him that they weren't angry at him but were feeling guilty. That actually made him feel a bit better – for himself, not for them.

"Jack, you haven't been a jerk. In fact I can't believe you even want to see us." Daniel ran his head through his hair, looking like he wanted to get up and run away.

"O'Neill, I owe you an apology. I betrayed our friendship and I do not ask for forgiveness but I want you to know that I will spend my life in an attempt to make amends."

Jack looked at his two guilt ridden friends and the last bit of his anger drained away. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that his friends loved him. What had happened was not their fault. In fact, they were as much a victim as he had been. Looking at each of them he rested his head back on his pillow. He finally knew everything was going to be okay – maybe not perfect – but good enough.

"Okay, enough! Neither of you have anything to be sorry about. You were drugged and didn't 'betray' me. I, however, owe you an apology. I can't claim to have been drugged when I ran off. I was angry and hurt and wanted to hurt you and I'm sorry. I should have stayed and tried to explain. Can you both forgive me?"

If it hadn't been such a serious moment Jack would have laughed at the expressions on his friends' faces. They had come here worried that Jack was going to be angry and still blame them, instead he was apologizing. It was Teal'c who finally spoke.

"O'Neill, I believe you have nothing for which to apologize. We were all the victims of a plot by a radical group of Asgard. I am grateful that you are not angry at us any longer. You must know, my friend, that nothing would ever induce us to betray you. You are our friend and our brother."

Jack had to consciously clear his throat and blink a few times to make sure his emotions didn't get the better of him. All this 'love' could get rather embarrassing. Daniel must have realized how he was feeling because he was suddenly sporting a small smirk.

"Jack, of course you're forgiven. Anyone of us would probably have reacted the same way." When Teal'c raised his eyebrows Daniel quickly continued. "Okay, maybe not Teal'c – he would probably have carried out some brutal Jaffa revenge thing – but I think we all understood how you felt. I'm just thankful you're not angry. Oh, but the next time something like this happens – we'll all collectively kick your ass if you run off like that!"

This time it was Jack who looked startled, but then he too started to grin. Following that he put out his hand and Daniel reached down and grasped it. Putting his other hand on Jack's shoulder he squeezed. "I know you're worried about things right now, but you know we're not going to leave you until you're all better and kick us out?"

Teal'c nodded. "That is so O'Neill. We have much work ahead of us but we are brothers and we will help you to regain your health."

Jack was again almost overcome with emotion. Okay, this was getting to be a bit too much. Pulling his hand away he looked between his friends with gratitude.

"So, you gonna help me escape? I'm so getting tired of this place! And by the way – did either of you bring some pizza?"

For the next couple of hours the three men laughed and joked around. Jack even got Teal'c to help him sit up for a few minutes. He was incredibly dizzy after having been flat on his back for so long but for the first time felt like maybe he could get better.

Over the next few days his 'team' visited him almost constantly. He worked hard at improving his strength. Although half of his body still didn't want to respond he could tell that he was getting stronger. He knew that any improvement would require a lot of hard work and therapy.

It was the afternoon of the second day that something happened that brought home to him some of the other changes that were occurring with his body and mind.

Although he was feeling better all the time he still spent a large part of his day sleeping. His friends would take turns sitting with him but often brought books or a computer with them to have something to do when he was resting. This day he woke up and saw that Daniel was reading a thick, hard cover book. The younger man didn't realize he was awake so Jack just watched him for a while, incredibly comforted be the presence of his friends in his life.

He glanced at the title of the book and sighed to himself. He wasn't surprised that Daniel was reading a book on 'Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology and the Old Testament '. It was exactly what Danny would think of as 'light reading.'

"Hey Daniel."

"Jack, how you feeling?" Daniel set the book down and pulled his chair up closer to the pod. He was relieved to see how much better Jack was beginning to look.

"Good. Hungry. Did you bring any snacks?" He'd enlisted the guys into bringing things from earth. Molly sent up a regular plethora of great meals but he could count on Daniel (and especially Teal'c) to bring 'goodies'.

"Yeah, I brought some chocolate." He pulled out a couple of bars and handed them to Jack who quickly devoured one.

"So, Mesopotamian Mythology eh? Sounds fascinating."

Daniel looked at him curiously. "Yeeaaah", he said hesitatingly. "Uh Jack?"

"yeah?" Jack had started on the second chocolate bar.

"How did you know I was reading about Mesopotamian Mythology?" Jack looked up from his chocolate bar and simply pointed to the book.

"I just read the title of your book – 'Ancient Mesopotamian Mythology and the Old Testament' – not a hard task, you know. I may have trouble lifting my arm but I can still read!" He looked a slight bit peeved.

Daniel still looked a bit puzzled. "Ah Jack?"

"Yes Daniel?" Jack sighed in frustration.

"Do me a favor?" He handed the book over to his friend. "Could you read the first couple of pages and tell me what they say?"

Jack was starting to look ticked. Did Daniel really think he couldn't read? What! Were his friends worried that he'd suffered more damage than they were letting on? Grabbing the book Jack quickly read the first two pages.

He would never admit it to Daniel, of course, but it sounded kind of interesting. It put forth the idea that many of the stories in the Old Testament were common to a lot of ancient society's – Mesopotamia in particular. He'd have to figure out a way to get a hold of the book without destroying his 'dumb General' routine. He'd never want Jackson to know he actually enjoyed reading things like this.

He handed the book back. "Okay, so now what. I read it." He looked at Daniel, a look of enquiry on his face.

"What did it say?" Daniel asked seriously.

With another sigh Jack gave a quick overview of what the first couple of pages had said.

"Satisfied Dr. Jackson?" he asked, peeved.

"Uh Jack?"

"Now what?"

"Just one more question. Since when did you learn to speak German?"

"German? I don't speak German Daniel. I know some Russian, a little Arabic and some Spanish but the only German I know is 'sauerkraut and wienerschnitzel'." What's this about?"

"Uh – it's just that this book is in German." He held up the book Jack had just read. O'Neill looked at it as if it was about to jump up and bite him.

"It is not!" he finally muttered.

"Is too Jack.

"No way Daniel. I don't _speak German!"_

"Well, you do now." Jack stared at him in horror. What the hell was this about? Daniel was rummaging around in his small backpack and finally pulled out a pen and pad of paper. He wrote for a couple of minutes and handed the pad to Jack. "Read each sentence."

Jack stared at him for a few minutes and then glanced at the paper. There were a half a dozen sentences written down. He began to read.

"To be or not to be, that is the question." He glanced up at Daniel who nodded and told him to proceed.

"Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow." He grimaced but continued. "I am Jack O'Neill and I like pizza, beer and the Simpsons!" This time he looked up and grinned. "This is my friend Daniel Jackson. Please listen to him as he's usually always right!" Jack rolled his eyes. "Please sir, can I have some more." He finally got to the last sentence. "The previous five sentences were written in Dutch, Urdu, Swedish, Goa'uld and Portuguese. This sentence is written in Ancient." Jack just stared at the page for a couple of minutes. He was hoping this was a joke but somehow he didn't think it was. He eventually looked up at his friend who was staring at him, no expression on his face.

"Are you telling the truth?" he waved the paper around.

"Yes. Each sentence is written in a different language. You can obviously read all of them. Can you tell the difference between them when you look at them or do they all seem like they're written in English?'

He lowered his eyes back to the paper and concentrated on each different sentence. After a bit he began to be able to tell that they were, in fact, written in different languages although his brain still seemed to see them as English – or at least as something he could understand.

"How's this possible Daniel?" he asked, although he had a good idea.

"It's obviously as a result of whatever Angrboda did to you. Somehow it's giving you the ability to decipher all these languages."

"But surely the Ancients wouldn't know all of these? Some of these languages developed long after they were gone."

"I know – that's what's so interesting. I don't think this is just a 'download' of information, like a encyclopedia. I think somehow your brain is able to decipher things – it's more like a computer. Let's try some verbal languages and see what happens." Daniel began to speak different languages. At first Jack heard them all as English but after concentrating he began to be able to tell they were different, although he could still understand each one perfectly. This was beyond weird!

"Okay, try speaking to me." Daniel asked him various questions, in different languages. Jack responded to each one. It was only when Daniel told him that he was speaking each language perfectly that he really began to freak out.

"What the hell Daniel! What am I going to do?" He covered his eyes with his forearm.

"Well, I don't really see that it's a problem. It sounds like you can tell what you're doing after a while so you shouldn't make any mistakes once you've caught on. And just think how easy it will be to travel."

Jack pulled his arm down and gave his friend and exasperated look. "Yeah – you wouldn't think anything of it. You already speak all of these languages. Can you imagine what will happen if I suddenly start to speak – Swahili or something!"

"Hey, what are you complaining about? I don't think this is such a bad thing. Look at the bright side, you can still speak and understand English just fine – unlike the last time."

He realized Daniel was right. This wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. What was creeping him out however was what other things he would find.

It was when Sam returned the next day that he found out just how much things had changed. She brought in one of her more difficult physics textbooks. She didn't even pretend to be reading it herself, she just handed it to him. When he raised his eyebrows at her she spoke.

"Aren't you curious?"

"About _physics_?"

"No! Daniel told me about the languages. I thought you'd like to see if there were any other abilities you'd gained."

"I already know I can read! We figured that one out yesterday", he answered sarcastically. She just looked at him, holding out the book. He grabbed it from her and opened it defiantly.

He read for about 20 minutes. He told himself it was to bug her but in actual fact he was finding it quite fascinating – until, of course, he came to the part that was totally wrong. He snorted! Who wrote this? It was pure fantasy. He looked up and handed it back to Sam and lay back down.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"What did you make of it?"

"Not much." She looked rather disappointed at that. He figured she was secretly hoping that he'd developed an interest in and understanding of physics.

"So, you didn't understand it?"

"No, I didn't say that. I said I didn't think much of it. It was mostly wrong."

"Wrong? What do you mean wrong?" she looked confused.

"Wrong. As in incorrect, inaccurate, mistaken, erroneous, off the mark, etc, etc."

"But it's not wrong. It's one of the most well-respected and accepted books about theoretical astrophysics that's ever been written."

"Well respected by whom?"

"By astrophysisicts."

"Oh, them."

"Oh them?" she asked, bemused. "Who else is there?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe somebody who knows what the hell they're talking about. Sam, all I know is is that book is incorrect in a bunch of places. Oh, they've got some of the stuff right but the basic premise is off." For the next fifteen minutes he explained to her what was wrong about the book and the way he saw it. He didn't even realize what he was doing. It was only as he caught her with her mouth literally hanging open that his voice faded away and he stopped.

"Shit", he murmured, "I did it again, didn't I?" He looked at her hopefully, praying she would tell him it was all just a big joke.

"Yeah Sir, you definitely did it again." Oops, he knew he'd really blown it if she was back to calling him 'Sir'. "I think you may just have revolutionized a lot of science as we know it." She shook her head in wonder, still blown away by everything he'd said.

"You can't say anything Carter."

She looked up in surprise. It was only then that she realized. Of course she couldn't say anything. This would all have to be kept a secret or Jack's life, or certainly his freedom, would be over.

"No, I know that S-Jack. It's just so amazing!"

"Amazing? It's creeping me right out!"

"But don't you find it fascinating? I mean, suddenly all these things have opened up to you now."

"That's what I mean about 'creepy' Carter. I never really _wanted_ to be interested in this stuff." He held up her book. "How can I maintain my 'dumb' routine around you guys? You're the science geeks, not me!" She had to laugh. He sounded mortally pissed over the fact that he was now brilliant. Leave it to Jack!

She decided it was time to change the subject. The poor man was obviously having trouble coping with all of this. They would eventually have to find out what more he knew – or could do – but for now he still needed to simply rest.

"So, you feel like a small visitor?" she asked with a smile.

"By small you don't mean Thor do you?" he asked hopefully.

"No. I know this little boy who is simply _dying_ to come for a visit. He really wants to see you – and I think he also wants to see Thor's ship again."

"I'm sure he does. What other seven year old can say he's been on an actual alien spaceship?"

"Well, he can't actually _say_ anything – at least to anyone but us, but it's still pretty exciting for him!"

So, it was later that day that a very excited, but on his best behavior, boy came and visited Jack.

"Jack!" he ran over and practically threw himself on the General. Fortunately Daniel grabbed him at the last minute, saving Jack from a small hurtling body!

"Chris! It's great to see you." Jack reached out with his good arm and pulled the little boy closer, giving him a hug. Almost instantly Chris moved from excited to teary. He began to sniffle and then to cry.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Jack pulled him slightly away to look at the little boy but he pushed himself back into O'Neill's arms. He muttered something into Jack's chest but he couldn't get what the little boy was saying. Finally he was able to calm him down. With Daniel's help Chris was able to jump up and sit beside Jack, cuddled up to him.

"Okay, so tell me what that was all about?" he asked the boy.

"I thought you were dead." Chris whispered.

"Dead? But didn't they tell you I was okay. I was just a little sick is all but I'm getting better real fast."

"At first I believed them but they wouldn't let me visit you and then I thought maybe you'd died and they didn't want to tell me."

"Oh Chris", Jack pulled him into another hug. "They would never lie to you. It was just that I was sleeping most of the time. I'm sorry you were worried but I'm getting better, I promise."

"Grandma says you're going to come and stay with us and we're going to make you all better!" Jack looked over at Daniel and Sam who both looked sheepish. This was the first he'd heard of it.

"Uh, yeah Jack", Daniel answered. "Thor figures the pod has done everything it can so it's up to you now. We've spoken to the SGC and the Doc is coming to check on you and prescribe some physical therapy. We figured you'd prefer to stay at Molly's rather than in DC or in the Infirmary."

Well yes, he would, but he hated to put everyone out. "Are you sure it's okay with her? I don't want to create a lot of extra work for everyone."

"She's thrilled Jack", Sam spoke for the first time. "It's not really any different than when you were staying there after your broken leg. The only difference is I'll be there to help."

He looked at her in surprise. "You will?"

"Yes, if that's okay with you?"

He stared back at her as if she were crazy. Okay with him? Hell, it was great – fantastic – wonderful. Yeah, this recuperation was going to be alright. He spared a brief thought for where she'd stay in the tiny house. He wondered if he could work it out so she shared his – no – too soon to go there Jack. Still, the idea was pretty attractive.

He smiled. "Sweet!"

So, after two weeks spent in Thor's healing 'chamber' he was beamed back down to earth. He knew the next little while would be difficult, but he was actually looking forward to moving forward with his life. As he lay in his bed at Molly's he looked over to his friends who were chatting in the doorway. He caught the eye of a little boy who ran over and jumped on the bed beside him.

"I'm glad you're home Jack!" Chris whispered in his ear.

He leaned over and whispered back …. "So am I!"

_**One more chapter to go folks!**_


	20. Family

_**Here is the last chapter. Thank you so much to all of you who have faithfully read, reviewed and 'alerted'. I hope you all enjoyed! (shameless plug time - please check out my new story - 10,000 BC).**_

_**Tim Bits - are donut holes**_

"We're just about done General", the nurse was finishing up taking the last vial of blood. He figured she was just as anxious to be finished as he was. He knew he wasn't the best patient in the world.

He'd been at the SGC now for two weeks, undergoing a series of tests and getting started on a therapy regime. He'd finally agreed to come after Sam had threatened and then cajoled him. When that hadn't _quite_ worked she'd pulled out the big gun – Molly! Between the two of them he'd been convinced to come and get checked out in a place where they could deal with some of the alien influence issues.

He had to admit, as much as he didn't want to, that it had been a good idea. He had a clearer picture of what had been done to him (which actually made him feel quite sick) and also what was going on up in that brain of his.

Thor's medical intervention had clearly put him on the road to recovery. He knew, and Doc Lam agreed, that he wouldn't be nearly as healthy if it hadn't been for that. In fact, he's pretty sure he'd be dead or severely disabled. As it was, his physical health was generally excellent, the only problem now being the damage to his brain.

It still gave him a horrifying feeling to even _think_ that, little alone hear it from the docs. According to their records, and the ones Thor gave them, serious chunks of his brain had been damaged by the probes. It was a miracle, according to Lam, that he was as well as he was.

For now he was still partially disabled along his left side. The good news was he had begun to be able to walk, although with a severe limp and the use of a cane. His left arm was weak but he was beginning to be able to lift it and he could close his fingers half way. Thankfully, his face didn't seem affected – it was just from the shoulders down.

There were days when he was so angry and frustrated that he wanted to throw something – usually a nurse or his therapist – but his 'team' kept him from going ballistic. Sam especially worked to keep his humor up, although even she had given him hell a few times when he'd gotten especially bad.

On top of the physical testing they'd done the docs had checked him out in terms of other brain functions. They could tell, from his scans, that there was increased activity in certain parts of the brain. What that meant the doctors and scientists didn't quite know. Jack knew that if Janet were still alive she'd instantly realize something was going on. But then, she'd known him backwards and forwards and he would never have been able to keep things from her. Dr. Lam was different. Oh, she was competent enough but had never seen Jack O'Neill at work and therefore didn't realize that he was doing his best to keep everyone but his team in the dark.

He knew without a doubt that if anyone got wind of what had happened to him he'd be in big trouble. There was absolutely no way he was going to spend the rest of his life as a lab rat, or running from people wanting to exploit him. He knew he had a challenge ahead of him to keep his new abilities quiet, but that would simply give him something to do in his retirement!

So, the day had finally arrived when he was being 'let go'. The Doc had given him all sorts of instructions and he had arranged for a therapist to continue to work with him to regain whatever strength and mobility he could. He was told to 'let them know' if he started noticing anything different. After agreeing that he would (fingers crossed) they finally let him out. He knew he had one stop to make before setting out. He made his way to his old office.

"Hank?", he knocked on the edge of the open door.

"Jack, come on in. They've let you go I see. How's everything?" Hank waved him in and indicated he take a seat. Jack was already tired just from the short walk, something he found incredibly depressing.

"Fine. I'm just getting ready to head out and thought I'd come and say goodbye and thanks for everything."

"Hey, no problem. You know you're always welcome here. I'm just sorry this all went down the way it did. Caroline says you're improving all the time and she's certain you'll be back to your old self in no time."

Jack looked a little skeptical at that. Lam had certainly not said anything like that to him. He wondered who was getting the true story.

"Yeah well, I can honestly say I'm just glad to still be here."

"I know – I guess it was close there for a while."

"You'll never know how close!"

"So Jack, did you hear from Hammond or the President?" Hank looked carefully at the man across from him to see how he'd react to this.

"Uh, just a couple of 'get well soon' calls from them. Why, was there something else", he asked suspiciously.

Great, thought Landry, they were going to leave him to do the dirty work! "Well, the President was wondering when you were coming back. He wants you to head up Homeworld Security again. He said he's been holding the post for you. Hammond's hoping you'll take it as well. I think he's wanting to get back into retirement."

Jack sat silently, a scowl on his face. He hadn't even given going back the slightest bit of consideration. He hadn't thought anyone would want him in the shape he was in.

"They must not know about this." He pointed at his leg and arm. "There's no way they'd want a crippled General in charge."

"Jack", Hank spoke gently, "they know exactly what's happened to you. We've kept them informed. I don't think they care – at least about you being able to handle the position. It's not a field position and whether or not you walk with a limp isn't going to affect your ability to do the job."

"Aren't they worried that I've lost a few too many brain cells. I never was the smartest kid on the block and I'd think they would be concerned I'd start drooling in my soup or something."

Hank laughed. "General, I think they stopped worrying about your manners a long time ago. I'm pretty sure everyone is totally comfortable with your intellect. I certainly haven't noticed any lessening of your intelligence." Hank narrowed his eyes. "In fact, I would kinda say you're seeming a 'wee bit' smarter these days."

Crap, thought Jack, he'd have to do a better job of hiding that. Mind you, they'd wanted to do all sorts of tests and it had taken everything he had to 'dumb' himself down.

"Na – just been hanging around Carter a lot lately."

"Yes – about that Jack … what's going on there? I always thought you didn't want to pursue that because of your respective positions?"

"What positions Hank? Neither of us are in the Air Force any more. We've both retired. There's nothing wrong with us being together."

"No, but if you take over Homeworld and if Sam resumes her position at the SGC there will be."

"Now you've just given me one very good reason why I shouldn't take that position." He sat back and looked very seriously at his friend. "Hank, I've given up a lot in this life for the Air Force. I'm not about to give up Carter. If that means I stay retired then so be it. I'm quite looking forward to my retirement with her."

"But what about Sam? Do you think she's ready for retirement as well? She still has a lot to offer and could go a long way. I hate to say it but staying with you could harm her career. You know what those rumors are like."

"Hank, I say this with all due respect – f#$ the rumors! I refuse to live my life based on them and I'm pretty sure Carter feels the same way. You know I'd never stand in her way – never have, never will. But I also know that neither of us are going to live our lives based on what a few weasel faced, slimy bastards have to say." He stood up. "I know you're trying to help here but we've already discussed this and have made up our minds. As for the President's offer – if he's interested in having me back tell him to give me a call in a couple of months and we can discuss it. Right now I have to head out – it's a long drive to Canada."

"Canada?"

"Yup – Sam and I are going back up to BC to spend some time with Molly and Christopher. I'm going to work on getting myself back up to speed and I'm also going to enjoy time with my fiancé. Oh, and you can tell all those people who are so worried about the rumors – Sam and I never did anything before we were retired." He limped over to the door and turned back to Landry just before leaving. "But we sure as hell are going to do it now!"

Hank grinned as he watched his friend of many years leave his office. He couldn't help but wish Jack all the best. If there was anyone who deserved it it was General O'Neill. He returned to his paperwork and could hardly wait until he could give the President Jack's message.

"All ready to go?" Sam met him as he was slowly making his way down the hallway. He was still feeling a little ticked off by his conversation with Landry, although he knew it wasn't Hank's fault. Right now he just needed to get away for awhile.

"Yeah, definitely ready!" He saw that Sam was carrying his duffle bag and had her jacket on. She held his out to him and he struggled to put it on. It was simple things like these that brought home to him how much more difficult everything was now with his 'injury'.

"Let's go then." Carter turned to the elevator and walked alongside him. Thankfully she didn't offer to help him but did slow her pace to match his. It was as they walked up to the car that he began to think some more about what Hank had said. Was he being unfair to Sam? It was true that she had real opportunities if she were to rejoin the Force. He could easily see her making General in a few years. Was it right of him to ask her to give that up by staying with him.

He got in the car – this time needing Sam's help – and settled in for the long drive ahead. Thor had offered to beam them back but for some reason he felt it was important to drive. He needed to do this journey for a couple of reasons – partly to prove that he _could_ regardless of his disability and partly to erase his former trip from his mind. He wanted to see a bit of his country and actually enjoy it. The last time he'd travelled this way he had barely noticed anything. Now he wasn't fleeing, he was going towards something wonderful.

As he settled in, however, the niggling doubt crept back in. It was, therefore, quite a while before he realized that Sam hadn't started the car. Turning to look at her he gave her a puzzled glance. "We staying for a reason?" he asked.

She looked at him very seriously for a moment and then sighed. "What is it Jack?" she asked. She'd seen his expression the moment he'd left Landry's office and knew that something was up.

"What?" he asked innocently. "Everything's fine."

"Don't."

"Don't what?" he answered a bit defensively.

"I thought we'd gotten beyond this. Something is bothering you and you need to tell me what it is."

"Otherwise ….?"

"Otherwise the security guards are going to come over in a couple of hours and ask why we're sitting here."

He took a deep breath, knowing h ewas being a bit of a jerk. Okay, so sue him! He wasn't going to change over night. But he did know he needed to get this out in the open or it would drive him crazy the whole way.

"The President wants me back." He stated baldly.

"Really? You mean as head of Homeland Security?"

"Yeah."

"And that's ….?"

"Okay I guess. I haven't really thought about it. I mean, part of me is glad they haven't written me off because of this", he pointed down again to his body, "but I don't know if I want it. I was kind of looking forward to retiring and being able to spend time with you."

She smiled at him but then grew serious. "So, what did you say?"

"I told Hank to tell the President to call me in a couple of months and I'd talk to him about it then."

"Okay, that seems reasonable. Is that what's bothering you?" she knew it wasn't and she was going to sit here until he got it all off his chest. God, she was worse than any Goa'uld for getting information out of him.

"No."

"So, what _is_ bothering you?"

"Uh Hank was wondering about you."

"About _me?_ What about me?"

"He said you had a brilliant career ahead of you and that being with me would screw that up." Okay, so he hadn't really put it that way but that was Jack's interpretation of it.

"And what did you say?" Sam's voice hardened. He really hoped she was pissed at Landry and not at him.

"I uh basically said that it was your decision."

"And that's all?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, I kind of told him to tell all those who had trouble with our relationship that they could go ….."

"Go….?"

"F- themselves." He was relieved to see the beginning of a smile on her face.

"Good. So why are you worried?"

"Well, I got to thinking that maybe I wasn't being fair to you. He's right you know. You do have the chance of a brilliant career and it would be much better for you not to be involved with me. You know a lot of people will say you slept your way to the top if we're together?"

"Yes, I've always known that. But you know what? Those people that I care about? Well, they know it's not the truth and that's what matters to me."

"But what about your career? You know this could keep you from making General?"

"How could I make 'General', I'm not even in the Air Force."

"That's my point – you _could_ be. This", he moved his hand between the two of them, "will get in the way."

"No it won't." She reached down and turned the key and began to back the car out of its parking spot.

"It won't?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because Jack, I'm not in the Air Force and I don't know if I will go back or not. If I do, I agree with what you told Landry about those people who have a stick up the ass about it. Frankly, I don't really care if I make General or not. I joined to make a difference and I think I have. Right now I'm more concerned about us than about any promotion." She stopped at the corner and then signaled left to head towards the highway.

"If you decide to go back to Homeworld in a few months I'll be behind you one hundred percent. But I will not – I repeat – I will _not_ let anything stand in the way of us so you can just stop worrying. You were right when you told Hank it was my decision. Well, I've decided I want to be with you for the rest of our lives and that, frankly, is the end of it!" She reached down and turned the radio on and began to listen to music. She wasn't about to discuss it anymore.

He could feel himself start to relax and couldn't help but grin. He remembered the slightly unsure Captain of years ago and admitted that he really loved this strong, independent woman sitting beside him. Whatever happened in the future, he knew it would not be a boring one.

He dozed on and off during the trip, still tired after having spent so much time in hospitals and alien pods. He was looking forward to getting his strength back. For some reason, why he didn't know, he was beginning to believe this weakness _was_ only temporary. He somehow had the suspicion that his body and brain were beginning to heal themselves. It had taken awhile but he figured that was because whatever healing ability he had was exhausted after helping Carter and keeping himself alive. He might end up wrong but at least he had some hope of getting better. He looked over to his left and couldn't help the giant smile that snuck out. Oh yeah, he definitely had lots of hope!

By the time they stopped for their first night Sam was exhausted. He felt terrible that he couldn't yet drive but he knew it would be dangerous. They made their way into their hotel and both collapsed on the bed. Jack had to grin over the fact that he and Sam were actually, finally, sharing a bed – but they were both too tired and weak to do anything about it.

At least they were able to 'cuddle' with each other. Jack had forgotten how good it felt to simply be able to be that close to a person he loved under normal, everyday circumstances. He felt happier than he'd felt in a long, long time.

They made a slow trip, taking the time to get to know each other a little better as just 'Jack and Sam'. It was a continuation of the time they'd spent before this whole thing had begun. This time, of course, they were actually together and not just calling or emailing.

Sam was also happy and was enjoying herself immensely. Although Jack was being pretty stingy with his new-found knowledge she did enjoy trying to pry things out of him. She started wondering about publishing some journals on physics using just a small portion of the things she was learning. Oh well, that was a thought for another day.

The only thing that was worrying Sam was that their relationship hadn't progressed to a more intimate level. Oh, Jack kissed her, but that was it. She wondered if his physical condition was worrying him. Knowing him he was probably all nervous and convinced he wasn't 'good enough' for her now. She sighed but then decided she had to do something about it.

They were driving through some medium sized city when Sam happened to see a mall. Without saying anything she turned off the highway and parked her car.

"What are we stopping here for?", Jack asked.

"I just need to pick something up. Did you want to come in or wait in the car?" She knew he could be a slight bit self-conscious about his limp.

"Uh, I see a little coffee shop over there. Why don't I wait for you?"

It took about an hour but Sam found what she was looking for, collected Jack and they were on the highway again. It was only about 4:00 o'clock by the time she stopped to get a hotel.

"How come you're stopping so early?" he asked

"Mmmm. Just a little tired I guess. I thought I'd like a little nap and then maybe we could go out and get something to eat."

So, the two of them slept for a little while and then Sam got up and showered. Tonight she dressed up a bit, putting on a skirt and some makeup. She realized Jack hadn't seen her this way too often. Usually she just wore jeans.

They had a nice leisurely supper with a lot of laughter – and a _lot_ of flirting. Sam allowed herself to be a bit bolder than usual. It wasn't natural for her but she must admit she enjoyed it – and from the look of him so did Jack.

It wasn't that late by the time they returned to the hotel although Jack was looking a little sleepy from the wine. Well, she'd just have to take care of that!

"I'm just going to take a quick shower", she told him. "Why don't you get ready for bed." So far they'd given each other some privacy when changing even though they were 'sleeping' together. Unfortunately, that's all they were doing. Tonight she hoped to change that!

Jack had enjoyed the evening immensely. He couldn't remember a time when Carter – no Sam! – had been quite so open and flirtatious. He admitted he really liked her like that. The only problem was, he was feeling very …. amorous! God, he didn't want to take advantage of their situation but he was afraid he was going to jump her before long. There was only so much patience a man could exercise and he'd reached his limit a few days ago.

He figured the best thing was to change quickly and get under the covers and pretend to be asleep. Maybe that way he could get through the night.

"Down boy!", he told his body. "You behave yourself! We're takin' it slow, remember? Just you be good!" With a heavy sigh – actually, it was more like a groan – he crawled under the covers and closed his eyes.

It was a few minutes before he heard the door open and Sam come into the bedroom. He had to stop himself from opening his eyes. Instead, he took deep breaths and tried counting. He'd reached twenty before he heard any movment.

"Jack." Her soft voice reached out for him. Keep your eyes closed!

"Yeah Carter?" That's right – keep it professional.

"Jack, open your eyes." Her voice actually sounded …. sultry! Oh God, he was going to die!

Instead of following her orders he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to give in to temptation.

He could hear her laugh.

"Jack, come on, open up." He felt her sit on the bed next to him. The next thing he knew her hand had reached out and brushed against his face. Okay, so he gave up. He opened his eyes – and promptly lost the ability to breathe.

There sat Samantha Carter – the woman he loved, the most beautiful woman in the world – dressed in the sexiest little blue teddy he'd ever seen. The color reminded him of that little bikini, but the style was completely different. It hugged her body in all the right places and had strategic ties up the center. Little bits of lace – giving just a hint of skin – covered the crucial bits. Jack O'Neill had just died and gone to heaven.

"Sam!" Oh shit, how embarrassing, his voice had actually squeaked!

"What Jack?" oh, yes – sultry!

"What – what are you doing?"

She laughed again. "Jack, if you can't figure it out then we're in big trouble here."

Oh yeah, he was in big trouble all right. Big, BIG trouble.

"I, I ah thought you wanted to wait?"

"No, that was you. I'm tired of waiting." She began to look a little unsure and he suddenly realized that he was appearing reluctant, which he wasn't _at all!_ As a slow grin began to appear on his face he could see her begin to relax. He reached out and gently grabbed one of the laces and pulled her toward him. He then grabbed her gently around the back and pulled her down on top of him. Looking at her closely he reached behind her head and carefully pulled her forward until his lips were touching hers.

Okay boy, he thought to himself, you can come out now – it's time to do your stuff! His body responded instantly. The teddy – well, it had served it's purpose well - but now it rested, all alone, in the corner of the room.

When Jack woke up the next morning he couldn't help but smile when he realized a very warm, cuddly and naked Sam was draped over top of him. He could definitely get used to this! He also felt incredibly relieved that his body hadn't given out on him. He'd been pretty worried about it but when it came down to it it had performed at maximum efficiency! In fact, he kinda thought he'd done better than usual (although it had been so long it was hard to tell). He wondered idly if the Ancient 'powers' had enhanced that as well.

"Hmmm, jsk." He both heard and felt that as Sam mumbled into his chest. She was waking up slowly and he figured she didn't quite know where she was. All of a sudden he heard the most endearing little squeak and her head lifted off his chest. Suddenly he was looking into her rosy cheeked face. He grinned when he saw the extreme bed-head and the sheet marks still left on her face.

"Mornin'" he said. "Have a good sleep?" She continued to stare at him, clearly not quite awake. Then slowly a smirk began to appear on her face.

"Sleep?" she repeated. "Can't remember much about _sleeping_ but the sex was great!" Wow, he really liked this new Sam.

"Yeah, it was pretty good." He agreed.

"Pretty _good_! That's all you can say? It was like …. WOW!" She laid her head back down on his chest and began to draw pictures on his stomach. He could feel the muscles begin to clench and his body – and mind – begin to get ideas again. God, she was going to kill him.

"Samantha!"

"Yes Jonathon?" she replied coyly.

"I uh – don't know if you should be doing that." He gestured at where her fingers were moving across his abdomen.

"Why not?" she asked as they began to move lower.

"Uh … Sam!" This time it was he who squeaked.

"Yes Jack?" The hand slowly began to dip even lower. He began to squirm.

"Uh, you're killin' me here!"

"Really?" She looked up with a pert expression on her face – but also with a touch of worry. She wondered if this really was too much for him since he was still recuperating.

"Yeah" He suddenly got a big grin on his face and flipped her over with him now on top. "But what a way to go!"

It was only as they got up to eat lunch (much, much later) that Jack realized something. Actually, it was Sam who noticed it first. He was suddenly much stronger and the weakness was much less.

"Jack!" She stared at him as he was able to lift his left arm and put it in the sleeve of his shirt.

"Yeah, I know. I noticed it myself."

"But how?" she asked, even more startled as she saw him able to lift his leg to put his shoe on.

"I don't know but I think it may have been the" he pointed between the two of them.

"The Sex?" she asked.

"Yeah, that!" He stood up and hobbled over to her, but this time without the cane. He was feeling stronger with each passing minute. "I don't know why but somehow I think it helped to heal me. We should have tried this ages ago." He reached down and kissed her. For a few minutes there was silence until Sam lifted her head.

"Yes, well, that was your fault!"

"Hey, don't blame me! It's not like we could have made love in Thor's pod. Think how creepy it would have been to have him – or God – Teal'c, walk in on us. And the SGC wouldn't have been such a great idea either. Can't you just hear the nurses? 'Excuse me General, Colonel Carter, can you please unlock yourselves, I need to take more of the General's blood!' Nope, definitely not romantic!"

"Well, we could have tried the briefing room table. Or there was my old office."

He looked at her shocked. "Don't tell me you had fantasies about having wild passionate sex with me in the SGC, Colonel Carter?"

She looked at him disgustedly. "Yes, of course I did. And don't tell me, _General O'Neill_, that you didn't have the exact same fantasies!"

"Oh yeah", he smirked. "And in the Gate Room, the locker room, the supply closets, my office, Danny's office, the Gym, the Commissary."

She stared at him amazed. "You sound like you fantasized a lot."

"Yeah, and your point? Remember Carter _I'm a guy!_ We're supposed to fantasize. In fact, it's pretty much all we do when we're not thinking about work or sports!" He stopped for a moment and considered. "No, we fantasize then too."

"Daniel's office?"

"Yeah – he had some pretty cool fertility goddesses hanging around – can't help it if they gave me a few ideas."

"General – they were – HUGE!" She demonstrated the very big busts and hips on the little statues.

"Yeah – but they had" he leaned over and whispered "breasts, Carter and .." he gestured lower.

"And that's all it took?" she laughed.

"Hey, it doesn't even need that much! Just the memory of you in that little tank top _attacking_ me was enough to get my mind and uh body going. Caused me no end of problems let me tell you. Teal'c once asked why I took cold showers. I told him because it gave me strength as a warrior. It was actually so I didn't walk around with my 'side arm' showing all the time!"

By the time he was finished Sam was giggling uncontrollably. Thinking back to the years they'd served together she knew a lot of what he was saying was exaggeration, but it made her feel warm to know he had thought about her – even if only in a 'guy' kind of way. And she had been telling the truth when she'd confessed to some fantasies about him. She wondered if she'd ever tell him some of the more – raunchy ones! Oh probably – but she'd save those for another time!

Over the next few days they took their time travelling slowly. They would stop early on the days they did travel and sometimes would stay a couple of days in one spot. They spent most of their time in bed – Sam figured it was really their 'honeymoon'. The exciting thing was to see how much better Jack was getting – and so quickly. Neither of them could explain it but in the end it didn't matter. It was just wonderful that he _was_ getting better.

It was two weeks to the day after they'd left Colorado Springs that they arrived in Penticton. It was starting to turn chilly now that it was late autumn and the winter was around the corner. Sam wondered what it would be like to spend it here in this small city nestled in the Rockies. Whatever it was like, she knew she was going to enjoy it!

Sam and Jack decided to enter the house quietly and surprise the occupants. Teal'c and Daniel were going to be here for a few more days and were then heading back to the SGC. Both of them had been 'reinstated' and were looking forward to getting back to work. For now, however, they were all going to enjoy a short holiday together, without aliens or bad guys or medical procedures. Jack was really looking forward to it.

They slowly and quietly opened the door and could hear voices coming from Molly's kitchen. No surprise that – it was where everyone seemed to congregate in this house. They put their bags down and then walked back to the kitchen to see what was going on.

As soon as they stepped into the kitchen both Jack and Sam began to laugh. Jack wished he had his camera with him – although it was a picture he could never have shown anyone anyway.

Sitting at the table were two aliens, a small boy, one archaeologist and a tiny old lady. Molly had just served Teal'c the biggest plate of perogies and cabbage rolls he'd ever seen in his life. The big man was sitting there with a fork full and with sour cream covering his upper lip.

On the other side of the table was Daniel, one hand holding a fork-full of perogy, the other a book from which he was reading out loud. It looked like everyone was pretty much ignoring him although Molly was trying to be polite.

The funniest picture of all was Chris, who was seated up next to Thor. The little alien had a euphoric expression on his face – something neither Sam nor Jack had ever seen before. In his narrow hand he was holding a small piece of roll. He had obviously taken a bite as the humans could see the powdered sugar on his lip. Chris was urging him – without too much trouble – to try another one.

It was at that moment that their laughter reached those in the kitchen who all looked up at the same time. The frozen looks on everyone's face made Jack laugh even harder.

"Whatcha all doin'?" he asked when he was finally able to catch his breath.

"We are just having an 'afternoon snack', O'Neill" Teal'c answered gravely. Jack again went into peals of laughter at Teal'c's definition of 'snack'. His alien friend simply raised his eyebrow and returned to eating the perogies.

"Jack!" Chris jumped up and ran over, throwing his arms around his idle and then around Sam, who he loved as much. "I'm so glad you're here. Grandma let us buy Tim Bits. I'm letting Thor try them." He leaned over and whispered to Sam and Jack. "He really likes them – he's eaten just about the whole box!"

Jack looked up at his other alien friend and had trouble not laughing again. "Thor, buddy, it's good to see you!"

"Gwood twoo see woo twoo O'Neill."

This time it was Sam who almost choked on her laughter. Thor's small mouth was so full of these 'Tim Bits' that he could barely speak. Who would have thought that an alien race would be corrupted by one small seven year old.

That evening everyone sat in the living room and spent a hilarious evening playing games and eating popcorn. Thor wasn't so sure about this earth food but when Molly drenched his in butter he decided he quite liked it. Jack warned him about getting his 'buttery hands' on the controls of his space ship.

Once Chris had gone to bed they talked about a few more serious things. Thor informed them of the trials of those guilty of the kidnappings and attempt on O'Neill's life. He also explained that some of the High Council were coming to meet with the President and give their apologies directly over what some of their citizens had done. They would also retrieve Angrboda's space ship and take Holler back with them.

Thor turned to Jack. "The High Council would also like to speak with you O'Neill. They would like to ask if they may use some of the samples gathered by Angrboda. There might be a possibility that ithey will help our people. If you do not desire that they understand and everything will be destroyed.

Jack had to think about that for a while. It angered him – and gave him the creeps – to know that pieces of his body and brain were in test tubes on the Asgard ship. His first reaction was to tell them to destroy the samples. Before he had a chance to speak however, Sam reached out and took his hand.

"This might be a good thing Jack. If you let them use the samples they won't need to bother you again. They'll have what they need and if it doesn't work there's nothing lost. If it does, well you'll have helped to save an entire race. Most of them are good guys General." She stopped and looked at him and he knew, from her expression, that she would support him in whatever he decided. With a small nod he turned to Thor.

"Okay, they can use it – but only if they promise me never to come back asking for more. I've given enough and I don't ever want to be bugged about this again!"

"Of course O'Neill. You have my word. You also have my gratitude. This may be what we need." Once that had been settled the conversation turned towards the future.

Their friends asked Jack and Sam what their plans were now that the threat was gone and everything had been explained.

"I don't know. I think both Sam and I need some time. We're going to stay here with Molly for the next few months and 'recuperate' from everything." His friends had noticed how much better he was doing but he hadn't told them the cause – just that he was getting lots of exercise. He'd had to hit Sam's leg when he heard her snort!

"After that, I don't know. The Air Force wants us both back and maybe we'll go although I kinda feel like I've done my time. It may be time for something different." He didn't say it but everyone knew that with his new knowledge there might be another way he could help earth in its fight against the bad guys out there. He'd have to figure out how he could use that knowledge.

"What about you Sam?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not sure either Daniel. Somehow I'm not that interested in going back although that might change. I'd kind of like to do some research and some writing – with Jack's help!" she turned and grinned at him. "I'm also looking forward to a bit of a 'normal' life for a change. Who knows, I might even take up knitting and I'm definitely going to ask Molly to teach me to cook!"

The old lady looked at her new 'family' and smiled. "Of course dear, although I think you've already captured your man." She looked over at Jack who was looking a little pink around the edges. "Who knows, there might even be another grandchild on the way!" This time both Jack and Sam were more than pink! The others all laughed although Thor looked interested.

They all got to bed late that night, tired but more relaxed than any of them had been in a long time. Thor returned to his ship to make preparations for the visit from the High Council.

Early the next morning Teal'c and Daniel left to take a brisk walk around the lake. Chris was watching Saturday morning cartoons and Jack was tempted to join him when Molly asked to speak with them both. They returned to the kitchen and sat down.

Unlike her usual self Molly was uncharacteristically quiet. Sam looked at Jack a little worried. Finally Molly began to speak.

"We haven't known each other that long", she began, "but I feel like you're my family already." Jack smiled and reached out and took the older woman's thin hand. "I know you're both good people – the best, really. Since you arrived on our doorstep our lives have changed. Chris is happy again and I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders." She sighed then, not looking happy in spite of her words.

"There's something bothering you Molly", Sam interjected quietly. "What is it?"

Molly looked up, tears in her eyes. "I love Christopher more than you'll ever know. He's all that I have left of my blood relatives. My husband and child are both gone but every time I see him I see them." She looked up at Jack. "But I'm frightened. I almost died a few weeks ago and, even though I'm healthier now, I am over 80 years old. I'm frightened that one day I'll die and Chris will be all alone. I know I don't have the right to ask you, that you have your own life but –" Jack reached out and put his fingers gently over Molly's mouth.

"You want us to be there for him, to care for him if something happens to you?"

"Not just that Jack." The old woman paused, knowing she was asking much of these two who were just starting their lives together. "He needs parents, two parents. He also needs someone younger, someone who can take him skating and to baseball and hockey games. He might even like a sibling one day. As much as I love him, I'm his Grandma and I can't do all those things with him. He needs more than I can give him. He needs a family. I want – I want you to adopt him."

Jack took a deep breath. This was something he hadn't been expecting. "He has a family Molly. You are his family even if you can't take him to play hockey. But I understand what you're saying." He looked at the tiny woman who now had tears running down her cheeks. He then looked at Sam who was also pretty teary eyed herself. He turned back to Molly.

"Molly, I can promise you that whatever happens we will always be there for Chris. We will always love him. As for adopting him – I have to discuss this with Sam. It's not a decision to be made lightly, for any of us. I think too we need to talk to Chris. He's had a lot of upheaval in his life. Do you mind if we discuss it and get back to you?" he asked gently. She nodded, agreeing.

Jack stood up and reached down to help Sam to her feet. She quickly went over and gave the older woman a hug, knowing that this must have been terribly painful for the woman. She was offering to give up her last remaining family for the sake of the little boy. It was a selfless and noble sacrifice but must be tearing her apart.

Jack then walked over and gave Molly a hug as well. "Don't worry Molly. Everything will work out for the best. No matter what we're your family now too and you're not going to lose us!" With a watery laugh she gave Jack a pat and told him to 'go talk to that woman of yours'. With a grin he took Sam's hand and went to their room.

"So, what do you think?" he asked Sam. He knew that if it had been just him he would have jumped at the chance to have Christopher as his son, however that wouldn't have been fair to Sam. She had to want it as much as he did.

"I think we need to adopt both of them."

"What?" he asked, unsure of what she meant.

"We need to adopt both Christopher and Molly. She's right when she says he needs parents. He needs a dad – no, he needs you as his dad. I'm also afraid that it's really too much for her to look after him by herself. He's an active kid and she can't keep up with him - but I'm not about to leave her here by herself and take Christopher from her. No, I think we should have both of them live with us."

He looked at her – not amazed because he knew how wonderful she was – but in awe. Samantha Carter was not only one of the strongest, smartest women he knew – she was also one of the most loving, compassionate people he'd ever met (okay, Daniel was a close second but he wasn't his type).

"So, how do we do that? Do you think she wants to leave here? This is her home and all her friends are here."

"Well, do you like it here?"

"Yeah, but it's a different country and we certainly couldn't work in the Air Force from here."

"I thought you said you wanted to retire?"

"I do but – what about you?"

"Well, I'd kind of like to do some research, like I told you. I also thought we might consider – you know – starting a family of our own. We don't want to waste all those great genes of yours!" She blushed a bit but was happy when she saw the look of joy cross his face.

"Okay – let's go tell her. There's a lot to work out you know."

"Yeah, I know. And who knows, in a few years we may be able to return to Colorado – or Minnesota – but for now I feel like we've come home. I need this, Molly and Chris need this – and I think you do too."

Reaching out he pulled her to him and simply held her, his face pressed against hers. It was only as she felt the dampness on her cheek that she realized that Jack was crying. Yes, they'd come home.

Later that afternoon they told Christopher what they were planning. At first they worried because he didn't say anthing but then he threw himself into Jack's arms and began to sob. His muffled words could be heard and after a while they figured out that he was also asking for Sam. She went over and joined in the family hug. He eventually calmed down and looked up. Seeing his grandmother sitting by herself he pulled away from the arms of his new parents and walked over to her. Standing straight and proud in front of her he looked at her. "I love you Grandma! I wouldn't have gone with them and left you. I'm so glad we're going to be together." With a small sob she reached out and pulled her grandson into her arms. She looked up at the two people standing in front of her and smiled with gratitude.

As Jack sat quietly that evening, surrounded by his friends and family, he thought back to that journey that had started so many months ago. It had started with pain and what he thought was betrayal but had ended in joy and a new beginning. As he looked around the room he realized that the journey had not only brought him closer to his friends, it had brought him a whole new, expanded family. He smiled to himself as he listened to the laughter and teasing around him.

Yes – this was truly his family. He was the luckiest man alive.

**The End**


End file.
